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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. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. bear — the animal
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. date — the fruit
  5. kid — to tease
  6. game — wild animals
  7. court — of a king
  8. court — of law
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. game — a match
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. cell — a phone
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. cell — in biology
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. bear — the animal
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. court — for sport
  21. kid — child
  22. mine — for digging
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. game — a kind of play

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