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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 116 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. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. court — of a king
  3. cell — a phone
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. key — in music
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. pound — a weight
  8. key — the most important part
  9. kid — child
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. key — for a lock
  12. court — for sport
  13. board — a committee
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. kid — to tease
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. vault — a safe
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. cell — in biology
  20. court — of law
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. board — to get on

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