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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. court — for sport
  3. court — of a king
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. shower — rain
  7. rash — hasty
  8. suit — in cards
  9. suit — clothes
  10. fine — all right
  11. court — of law
  12. suit — to fit
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. ball — a great time
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. shower — to wash
  17. rash — a series
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. hand — in cards
  21. fine — high quality
  22. ball — a dance
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. ball — a round shape

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