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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. fine — high quality
  3. dip — to sink
  4. wind — moving air
  5. row — a line
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. court — for sport
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. court — of law
  11. pitch — completely
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. vault — a safe
  14. row — to paddle
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. court — of a king
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. wind — moving air
  21. kid — to tease
  22. fine — all right
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. dip — a sauce

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