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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. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. ball — a great time
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. court — of law
  7. pit — a hole
  8. kid — to tease
  9. bear — the animal
  10. bear — the animal
  11. kid — child
  12. court — of a king
  13. court — for sport
  14. ball — a dance
  15. perch — the fish
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. perch — for a bird

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