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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. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. court — of a king
  3. hand — in cards
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. swing — music
  6. court — for sport
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. tube — the underground
  11. court — of law
  12. last — to go on
  13. swing — in golf
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. kid — child
  16. hand — help
  17. last — final
  18. swing — to play on
  19. kid — to tease
  20. last — finally
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. rush — hurry
  23. tube — a container
  24. tube — in a tire

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