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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. court — for sport
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. court — of law
  8. board — a committee
  9. sharp — clever
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. kid — to tease
  13. bore — to drill
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. kid — child
  17. tube — a container
  18. bore — to tire
  19. tube — the underground
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. board — to get on
  24. tube — in a tire

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