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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 124 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. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. tube — the underground
  8. roll — a cake
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. court — of a king
  11. net — for catching
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. roll — a list
  15. tube — a container
  16. net — after costs
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. net — in sport
  19. court — for sport
  20. pitch — completely
  21. hand — help
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. hand — in cards
  24. tube — in a tire

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