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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. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. track — to keep track
  5. drill — the tool
  6. root — of a plant
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. kid — child
  9. hand — help
  10. court — for sport
  11. kid — to tease
  12. hand — in cards
  13. drill — a practice
  14. root — of a word
  15. track — a song
  16. drill — army training
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. kick — in football
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. root — the cause
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. track — a path
  23. pitch — completely
  24. court — of law

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