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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 ball is in your ________________.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. scale — in music
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. kid — to tease
  7. wind — moving air
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. wind — moving air
  10. court — of law
  11. rest — what's left
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. rest — what's left
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. kid — child
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. rest — a break
  23. court — of a king
  24. scale — size or range

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