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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. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. kid — child
  4. deal — to handle
  5. pass — a permit
  6. court — of a king
  7. court — of law
  8. rash — a series
  9. can — a tin
  10. rash — hasty
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. row — a line
  13. row — to paddle
  14. can — to be able to
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. kid — to tease
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. can — a tin
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. deal — an agreement

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