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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 120 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 ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. cell — a phone
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. court — of a king
  5. saw — the tool
  6. kid — to tease
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. file — a tool
  11. saw — the tool
  12. ball — a dance
  13. cell — in biology
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. file — a document
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. kid — child
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. ball — a great time
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. court — for sport
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. file — a line of people

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