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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. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. date — the fruit
  6. chest — of your body
  7. chest — of your body
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. court — of law
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. kid — to tease
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. court — of a king
  16. kid — child
  17. tube — the underground
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. tube — a container
  21. chest — a box
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. lash — an eyelash

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