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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. fine — high quality
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. hand — in cards
  6. court — of a king
  7. kid — child
  8. court — for sport
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. stock — goods
  13. pitch — completely
  14. stock — shares
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. fine — all right
  17. kick — in football
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. kid — to tease
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. court — of law
  24. hand — help

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