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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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Word bank
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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. kid — to tease
  4. spell — a short time
  5. mate — a partner
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. court — of a king
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. spell — letters
  10. swing — music
  11. mate — to breed
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. court — of law
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. spell — magic
  18. mate — a friend
  19. rock — music
  20. swing — to play on
  21. foot — a measure
  22. court — for sport
  23. swing — in golf
  24. rock — a stone

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