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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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. last — to go on
  5. pop — soda
  6. last — final
  7. pop — music
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. drill — a practice
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. drill — army training
  12. drill — the tool
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. pound — a weight
  15. court — of law
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. court — for sport
  19. pop — to visit
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. last — finally
  22. deal — to handle
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. wave — of the sea

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