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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. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. cue — a signal
  3. wake — a trail
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. kid — child
  8. drill — a practice
  9. cue — a hint
  10. ball — a great time
  11. court — of law
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. ball — a dance
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. kid — to tease
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. court — for sport
  18. lie — to recline
  19. drill — army training
  20. bass — low music
  21. drill — the tool
  22. cue — for pool
  23. bass — the fish
  24. court — of a king

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