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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. cue — a hint
  3. pound — a weight
  4. current — happening now
  5. clip — a video
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. clip — for paper
  8. current — electric
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. prune — to trim
  11. fall — the season
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. fall — to drop
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. prune — to trim
  16. cue — for pool
  17. current — of water
  18. court — for sport
  19. toast — bread
  20. court — of law
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. clip — to cut
  23. cue — a signal
  24. fall — to drop

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