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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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. rule — government
  3. key — for a lock
  4. key — in music
  5. kid — to tease
  6. fall — to drop
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. court — for sport
  9. key — the most important part
  10. lean — thin
  11. court — of a king
  12. fall — the season
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. court — of law
  15. lean — to bend
  16. kid — child
  17. rule — a law
  18. fall — to drop

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