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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. court — for sport
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. rock — music
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. court — of law
  15. race — the arms race
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. row — a line
  18. row — to paddle
  19. race — humankind
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. rock — a stone
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. race — a contest

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