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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. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. last — final
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. kid — child
  8. track — a path
  9. fall — to drop
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. fall — to drop
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. fall — the season
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. court — of a king
  16. last — finally
  17. track — a song
  18. track — to keep track
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. last — to go on
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. kid — to tease
  23. court — for sport
  24. ruler — for measuring

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