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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 ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. rest — a break
  3. rest — what's left
  4. fall — to drop
  5. march — music
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. kid — child
  9. court — of a king
  10. toast — bread
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. chip — to eat
  13. fall — the season
  14. rest — what's left
  15. court — for sport
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. fall — to drop
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. march — the month
  21. chip — for betting
  22. march — the month
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. kid — to tease

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