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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. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. bore — to tire
  5. pound — a weight
  6. spring — of water
  7. club — for golf
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. spring — a coil
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. club — a group
  13. squash — the sport
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. spring — the season
  16. court — of a king
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. hand — in cards
  19. court — of law
  20. squash — to crush
  21. club — for dancing
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. bore — to drill
  24. hand — help

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