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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. rash — hasty
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. lean — to bend
  7. lean — thin
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. rash — a series
  10. bound — tied together
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. bound — certain
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. field — for sport
  15. field — a subject
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. field — farmland
  19. court — of law
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. bound — obliged
  24. court — 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