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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 ball is in your ________________.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. roll — a cake
  3. rest — what's left
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. mug — a cup
  6. kid — child
  7. court — of law
  8. face — to confront
  9. court — of a king
  10. mug — to rob
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. face — to point toward
  13. mug — a face
  14. rest — a break
  15. face — part of the head
  16. bass — the fish
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. key — in music
  19. key — the most important part
  20. rest — what's left
  21. bass — low music
  22. key — for a lock
  23. roll — a list
  24. kid — to tease

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