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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. track — a path
  9. swing — music
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. court — of law
  14. tube — a container
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. court — for sport
  17. track — a song
  18. tube — the underground
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. swing — in golf
  22. kick — in football
  23. track — to keep track
  24. swing — to play on

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com