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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 120 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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. object — an aim
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. object — a thing
  5. court — of law
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. kid — child
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. fall — to drop
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. fall — the season
  13. court — of a king
  14. saw — the tool
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. kid — to tease
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. fall — to drop
  19. saw — the tool
  20. sharp — clever
  21. court — for sport
  22. ball — a dance
  23. ball — a great time
  24. pass — a permit

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