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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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. mate — to breed
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. field — for sport
  6. court — for sport
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. mate — a friend
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. field — farmland
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. wax — to grow
  13. rash — hasty
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. cell — a phone
  17. rash — a series
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. field — a subject
  21. mate — a partner
  22. court — of law
  23. cell — in biology
  24. rash — on the skin

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