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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. court — of a king
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. court — of law
  5. track — a path
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. track — a song
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. rash — hasty
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. cap — of ice
  15. rash — a series
  16. cap — a hat
  17. court — for sport
  18. kid — child
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. cap — a lid
  21. track — to keep track
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. snap — to click
  24. safe — a strongbox

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