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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. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. court — for sport
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. kick — in football
  5. cue — for pool
  6. track — a song
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. rash — hasty
  9. last — final
  10. last — to go on
  11. cue — a signal
  12. bat — the animal
  13. track — to keep track
  14. court — of a king
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. rash — a series
  18. track — a path
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. cue — a hint
  21. court — of law
  22. ball — a dance
  23. last — finally
  24. ball — a great time

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