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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. David sat on the ________________.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. swing — to play on
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. key — the most important part
  5. staff — employees
  6. staff — employees
  7. pass — a permit
  8. key — for a lock
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. clip — a video
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. swing — in golf
  13. staff — a stick
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. clip — to cut
  18. court — of law
  19. date — the fruit
  20. key — in music
  21. court — for sport
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. clip — for paper
  24. swing — music

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