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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. court — for sport
  3. cap — of ice
  4. cap — a hat
  5. key — the most important part
  6. key — in music
  7. court — of a king
  8. cue — a signal
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. key — for a lock
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. court — of law
  13. cue — a hint
  14. cue — for pool
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. kid — child
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. cap — a lid
  23. kid — to tease
  24. ruler — for measuring

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