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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's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. kick — in football
  3. court — of a king
  4. court — for sport
  5. hand — help
  6. fine — high quality
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. fine — all right
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. hand — in cards
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. court — of law
  19. shower — rain
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. kick — a thrill

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