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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. lean — thin
  8. bulb — for light
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. court — for sport
  11. kid — to tease
  12. bulb — for light
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. ball — a great time
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. kid — child
  18. ball — a dance
  19. date — the fruit
  20. lean — to bend
  21. rush — hurry
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. court — of law

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