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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 120 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've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. spell — a short time
  3. game — a match
  4. court — of law
  5. game — wild animals
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. object — to protest
  9. spell — magic
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. last — finally
  12. object — a thing
  13. last — final
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. spell — letters
  16. object — an aim
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. last — to go on
  22. wake — a trail
  23. court — for sport
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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