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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. club — for dancing
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. kid — child
  5. kid — to tease
  6. mate — to breed
  7. charge — in control
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. mate — a partner
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. club — a group
  12. bore — to drill
  13. tear — to rip
  14. court — for sport
  15. tear — from crying
  16. court — of law
  17. tear — from crying
  18. mate — a friend
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. club — for golf
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. bore — to tire
  23. charge — a price
  24. charge — electricity

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