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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. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. chest — a box
  3. ball — a dance
  4. court — of law
  5. cue — a signal
  6. march — music
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. march — the month
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. ball — a great time
  12. chest — of your body
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. chest — of your body
  15. tube — the underground
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. shower — to wash
  18. cue — for pool
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. march — the month
  21. shower — rain
  22. cue — a hint
  23. tube — a container
  24. court — for sport

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