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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. pop — music
  3. court — of law
  4. bore — to drill
  5. staff — employees
  6. court — of a king
  7. band — a music group
  8. bore — to tire
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. pop — to visit
  11. band — a ring
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. saw — the tool
  14. staff — employees
  15. saw — the tool
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. pop — soda
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. firm — steady
  21. staff — a stick
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. firm — decided
  24. firm — a company

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