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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. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. bear — the animal
  3. object — to protest
  4. court — of law
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. object — an aim
  7. chip — to eat
  8. sharp — clever
  9. cue — a signal
  10. cue — a hint
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. chip — for betting
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. bear — the animal
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. cue — for pool
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. court — of a king
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. object — a thing

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