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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 116 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. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. bank — for money
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. kid — child
  6. clip — a video
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. court — for sport
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. clip — to cut
  11. bank — for money
  12. court — of law
  13. bank — of a river
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. kid — to tease
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. clip — for paper

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