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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. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. march — music
  3. firm — a company
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. march — the month
  7. ball — a dance
  8. firm — decided
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. shower — to wash
  12. shower — rain
  13. kid — child
  14. court — for sport
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. ball — a great time
  17. court — of a king
  18. squash — to crush
  19. march — the month
  20. firm — steady
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. kid — to tease
  23. squash — the sport
  24. court — of law

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