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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  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. cabinet — ministers
  2. court — for sport
  3. court — of a king
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. row — a line
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. row — to paddle
  10. spell — letters
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. spell — magic
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. kid — child
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. kid — to tease
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. spell — a short time
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  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