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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 120 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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. court — of a king
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. court — of law
  7. scale — size or range
  8. bulb — for light
  9. kid — child
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. kick — in football
  12. kid — to tease
  13. court — for sport
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. last — finally
  16. last — to go on
  17. last — final
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. ball — a dance
  20. bulb — for light
  21. scale — in music
  22. ball — a great time
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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