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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 120 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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. pit — a hole
  3. drill — the tool
  4. court — of law
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. track — a song
  9. bear — the animal
  10. drill — army training
  11. pit — in a race
  12. drill — a practice
  13. bear — the animal
  14. net — after costs
  15. track — to keep track
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. race — a contest
  18. race — the arms race
  19. court — for sport
  20. net — for catching
  21. track — a path
  22. net — in sport
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. race — humankind

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