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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. net — for catching
  3. court — for sport
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. dip — to sink
  7. court — of law
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. net — in sport
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. fork — in a road
  17. kid — to tease
  18. pitch — completely
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. net — after costs
  21. kid — child
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. arm — part of the body

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