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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 120 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 had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. kid — child
  3. bore — to tire
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. stand — to bear
  6. bulb — for light
  7. spring — of water
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. court — of law
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. shower — to wash
  15. spring — the season
  16. bulb — for light
  17. shower — rain
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. spring — a coil
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. kid — to tease
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. bore — to drill
  24. court — for sport

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