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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. kid — to tease
  3. bank — for money
  4. court — of a king
  5. cue — for pool
  6. kid — child
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. court — of law
  9. tear — from crying
  10. pop — music
  11. lean — thin
  12. tear — to rip
  13. court — for sport
  14. bank — for money
  15. lean — to bend
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. tear — from crying
  18. scale — in music
  19. cue — a hint
  20. cue — a signal
  21. scale — size or range
  22. bank — of a river
  23. pop — to visit
  24. scale — for weighing

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