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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're almost out of ________________.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. board — to get on
  4. kid — child
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. perch — the fish
  8. band — a music group
  9. pop — to visit
  10. court — for sport
  11. pop — music
  12. court — of law
  13. kid — to tease
  14. object — an aim
  15. band — a ring
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. object — to protest
  20. court — of a king
  21. board — a committee
  22. object — a thing
  23. deal — to handle
  24. deal — a big deal

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