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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. kid — to tease
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. pass — a permit
  5. court — for sport
  6. drill — a practice
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. kick — in football
  10. court — of law
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. kid — child
  13. stem — to come from
  14. court — of a king
  15. drill — the tool
  16. drill — army training
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. sharp — clever
  24. mouse — for a computer

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