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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 116 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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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. net — after costs
  4. swing — music
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. swing — in golf
  7. rule — government
  8. net — in sport
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. march — the month
  12. march — the month
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. net — for catching
  15. court — of law
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. rule — a law
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. court — for sport
  20. march — music
  21. perch — the fish
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. perch — for a bird

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