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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. rest — a break
  3. mug — a cup
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. cue — a signal
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. kid — child
  8. court — for sport
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. can — to be able to
  11. can — a tin
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. rest — what's left
  14. kid — to tease
  15. court — of law
  16. cue — a hint
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. can — a tin
  19. bark — to shout
  20. rest — what's left
  21. mug — to rob
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. mug — a face
  24. cue — for pool

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