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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. court — for sport
  3. kid — child
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. rock — a stone
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. wake — a trail
  10. pass — a permit
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. face — to confront
  13. net — after costs
  14. kid — to tease
  15. tube — a container
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. tube — the underground
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. net — in sport
  20. net — for catching
  21. face — part of the head
  22. rock — music
  23. court — of law
  24. court — of a king

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