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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 is an ace ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. pass — a permit
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. mark — a grade
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. mine — for digging
  13. craft — boats
  14. date — the fruit
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. mark — a trace
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. court — for sport
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. craft — a skill
  23. court — of law
  24. craft — a handicraft

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