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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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. court — of a king
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. toast — bread
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. track — to keep track
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. track — a path
  11. bear — the animal
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. track — a song
  15. shower — rain
  16. court — of law
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. court — for sport
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. wound — an injury
  22. shower — to wash
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. wound — an injury

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