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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. court — of a king
  3. court — for sport
  4. date — the fruit
  5. pop — music
  6. row — to paddle
  7. present — the time now
  8. deal — to handle
  9. pop — soda
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. current — happening now
  13. current — electric
  14. current — of water
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. row — a line
  17. pop — to visit
  18. present — a gift
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. present — there
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. court — of law

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