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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. cue — a signal
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. foot — a measure
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. bark — to shout
  12. cue — for pool
  13. cue — a hint
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. court — of law
  16. pass — a permit
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. court — of a king
  22. court — for sport
  23. kid — to tease
  24. pass — to succeed

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