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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. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. row — to paddle
  3. track — a path
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. row — a line
  6. court — of law
  7. track — to keep track
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. field — a subject
  10. pound — a weight
  11. squash — the sport
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. track — a song
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. court — for sport
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. field — farmland
  23. squash — to crush
  24. field — 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