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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 ball is in your ________________.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. court — for sport
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. stock — shares
  7. pit — in a race
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. stock — goods
  12. court — of law
  13. bore — to drill
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. sharp — clever
  19. pit — a hole
  20. perch — the fish
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. wax — to grow
  24. bore — to tire

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