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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. rock — music
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. court — of a king
  7. rock — a stone
  8. court — of law
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. kid — to tease
  11. wind — moving air
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. fork — in a road
  14. sharp — clever
  15. kid — child
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. wind — moving air
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. ruler — for measuring

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