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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 120 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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. kid — to tease
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. kid — child
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. court — for sport
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. mine — for digging
  14. degree — an amount
  15. court — of a king
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. degree — temperature
  18. can — a tin
  19. degree — from a university
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. can — a tin
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. court — of law
  24. can — to be able to

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