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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. pop — soda
  3. file — a document
  4. sharp — clever
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. rock — music
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. pop — to visit
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. dip — to sink
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. file — a tool
  15. court — for sport
  16. court — of law
  17. file — a line of people
  18. firm — steady
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. rock — a stone
  22. pop — music
  23. firm — a company
  24. firm — decided

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