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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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. face — to confront
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. court — for sport
  7. bulb — for light
  8. drill — a practice
  9. drill — the tool
  10. club — for golf
  11. kid — child
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. cell — in biology
  14. club — for dancing
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. court — of a king
  17. face — part of the head
  18. face — to point toward
  19. drill — army training
  20. court — of law
  21. bulb — for light
  22. cell — a phone
  23. kid — to tease
  24. club — a group

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