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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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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 ball is in your ________________.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. fine — all right
  3. court — of law
  4. shower — rain
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. rest — a break
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. court — of a king
  11. cue — a signal
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. mark — a trace
  14. mark — a grade
  15. cue — a hint
  16. squash — to crush
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. rest — what's left
  19. kick — in football
  20. cue — for pool
  21. shower — to wash
  22. rest — what's left
  23. fine — high quality
  24. squash — the sport

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