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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. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. cue — a hint
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. cue — a signal
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. ground — the earth
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. ground — a position
  10. track — to keep track
  11. court — of a king
  12. kid — child
  13. kid — to tease
  14. court — of law
  15. ground — crushed
  16. cue — for pool
  17. track — a song
  18. track — a path

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