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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. ball — a dance
  3. court — of law
  4. net — after costs
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. kid — child
  7. lie — to recline
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. kid — to tease
  11. net — in sport
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. court — for sport
  14. ball — a great time
  15. season — in sport
  16. tube — a container
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. pound — a weight
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. season — of the year
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. net — for catching
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. tube — the underground

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