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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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. ball — a great time
  3. court — of law
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. kid — to tease
  7. ball — a dance
  8. kid — child
  9. spell — a short time
  10. spell — letters
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. object — to protest
  13. court — for sport
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. spell — magic
  16. object — an aim
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. court — of a king

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