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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. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. season — in sport
  3. court — of law
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. court — of a king
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. kid — child
  11. kid — to tease
  12. ball — a great time
  13. tube — a container
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. rash — a series
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. season — of the year
  18. rash — hasty
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. tube — the underground
  22. court — for sport
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  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