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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 116 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. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. kid — to tease
  3. mark — a grade
  4. degree — an amount
  5. stand — to bear
  6. degree — from a university
  7. mug — to rob
  8. face — to point toward
  9. band — a ring
  10. kid — child
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. court — for sport
  14. court — of law
  15. band — a music group
  16. mug — a face
  17. face — part of the head
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. mark — a trace
  20. court — of a king
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. degree — temperature
  23. mug — a cup
  24. face — to confront

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