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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. court — of a king
  4. cue — a signal
  5. squash — to crush
  6. club — for dancing
  7. squash — the sport
  8. pit — a hole
  9. kid — to tease
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. kid — child
  12. club — a group
  13. pass — a permit
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. pit — in a race
  16. court — of law
  17. court — for sport
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. cue — for pool
  20. land — to come down
  21. land — ground
  22. land — a country
  23. club — for golf
  24. cue — a hint

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