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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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. bear — the animal
  3. degree — an amount
  4. wax — to grow
  5. pop — to visit
  6. dip — to sink
  7. tube — a container
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. degree — temperature
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. degree — from a university
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. court — of law
  16. tube — the underground
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. pitch — completely
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. pop — music
  21. court — for sport
  22. pop — soda
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. bear — the animal

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