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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. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. kid — child
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. court — for sport
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. pit — a hole
  7. court — of a king
  8. present — there
  9. present — a gift
  10. capital — money
  11. date — the fruit
  12. capital — a city
  13. kid — to tease
  14. pit — in a race
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. court — of law
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. vault — a safe
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. present — the time now
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. racket — for tennis

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