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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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. court — of law
  3. kid — to tease
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. snap — to click
  8. ball — a dance
  9. hand — in cards
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. can — a tin
  14. tube — a container
  15. deal — to handle
  16. court — of a king
  17. can — a tin
  18. court — for sport
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. ball — a great time
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. can — to be able to
  23. kid — child
  24. hand — help

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