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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. mug — to rob
  3. court — of a king
  4. land — to come down
  5. row — to paddle
  6. mug — a face
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. land — ground
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. pop — music
  12. track — to keep track
  13. court — of law
  14. row — a line
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. pop — soda
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. track — a path
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. land — a country
  21. track — a song
  22. mug — a cup
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. court — for sport

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