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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. court — of a king
  3. bear — the animal
  4. squash — the sport
  5. court — of law
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. mug — a cup
  8. row — to paddle
  9. squash — to crush
  10. capital — a city
  11. ball — a great time
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. key — for a lock
  14. court — for sport
  15. key — the most important part
  16. mug — to rob
  17. row — a line
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. ball — a dance
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. key — in music
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. bear — the animal
  24. capital — money

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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