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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. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. court — of a king
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. bore — to tire
  5. rest — a break
  6. firm — decided
  7. shower — to wash
  8. field — farmland
  9. firm — steady
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. shower — rain
  12. court — of law
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. court — for sport
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. rest — what's left
  17. date — the fruit
  18. rock — a stone
  19. field — a subject
  20. bore — to drill
  21. rock — music
  22. field — for sport
  23. rest — what's left
  24. bore — gave birth

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