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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 ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. object — an aim
  5. object — to protest
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. court — for sport
  8. court — of law
  9. bat — the animal
  10. ball — a dance
  11. fine — all right
  12. root — the cause
  13. object — a thing
  14. root — of a word
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. root — of a plant
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. ball — a great time
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. foot — a measure
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. fine — high quality

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