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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. rash — hasty
  4. court — of law
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. can — a tin
  7. pit — in a race
  8. rash — a series
  9. bat — the animal
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. court — for sport
  12. hand — help
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. can — a tin
  16. hand — in cards
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. pass — a permit
  19. court — of a king
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. can — to be able to
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. pit — a hole

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