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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. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. court — of a king
  5. court — for sport
  6. rush — hurry
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. present — a gift
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. kid — to tease
  12. shower — rain
  13. present — the time now
  14. kid — child
  15. shower — to wash
  16. court — of law
  17. present — there
  18. wake — a trail

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