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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. mark — a trace
  3. mark — a grade
  4. ball — a dance
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. sharp — clever
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. rest — what's left
  9. mug — to rob
  10. court — of a king
  11. current — electric
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. mug — a face
  14. current — happening now
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. kid — child
  17. ball — a great time
  18. court — for sport
  19. court — of law
  20. rest — what's left
  21. current — of water
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. rest — a break
  24. mug — a cup

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