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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. wake — a trail
  6. content — happy
  7. mate — to breed
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. bound — tied together
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. snap — to click
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. mate — a partner
  14. mate — a friend
  15. bound — obliged
  16. bound — certain
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. court — of law
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. court — for sport
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. content — the amount
  24. perch — the fish

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