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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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. fall — to drop
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. last — final
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. last — finally
  8. kid — to tease
  9. band — a ring
  10. court — for sport
  11. kid — child
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. fall — to drop
  14. ball — a great time
  15. last — to go on
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. court — of law
  19. fall — the season
  20. band — a music group
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. court — of a king
  24. ball — a dance

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