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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. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. cue — for pool
  3. cue — a hint
  4. court — for sport
  5. land — ground
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. firm — steady
  9. wind — moving air
  10. court — of a king
  11. land — a country
  12. tube — a container
  13. key — for a lock
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. firm — decided
  16. cue — a signal
  17. land — to come down
  18. tube — the underground
  19. key — in music
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. wind — moving air
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. court — of law
  24. key — the most important part

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