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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. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. court — of law
  3. cap — a hat
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. fine — all right
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. row — a line
  11. cap — a lid
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. row — to paddle
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. cap — of ice
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. court — for sport
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. fine — high quality
  24. bark — to shout

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