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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. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. kid — child
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. present — there
  6. bore — to tire
  7. court — for sport
  8. court — of law
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. present — a gift
  13. wake — a trail
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. kid — to tease
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. pass — a permit
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. court — of a king
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. bore — to drill
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. present — the time now

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