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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. snap — to click
  4. bore — to tire
  5. rest — what's left
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. row — a line
  10. row — to paddle
  11. rest — a break
  12. squash — the sport
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. court — for sport
  17. rest — what's left
  18. kid — child
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. court — of law
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. kid — to tease
  23. squash — to crush
  24. bore — to drill

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