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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 116 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. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  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. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. kid — to tease
  3. firm — decided
  4. firm — a company
  5. bear — the animal
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. rock — music
  9. court — for sport
  10. rash — a series
  11. bat — the animal
  12. court — of law
  13. rock — a stone
  14. wax — to grow
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. firm — steady
  18. kid — child
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. bear — the animal
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. rash — hasty
  23. rash — on the skin
  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