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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. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. court — for sport
  3. kid — child
  4. fall — to drop
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. race — humankind
  7. rest — what's left
  8. race — a contest
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. rest — a break
  11. bore — to drill
  12. rest — what's left
  13. fall — the season
  14. race — the arms race
  15. bore — to tire
  16. court — of a king
  17. ball — a great time
  18. kid — to tease
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. ball — a dance
  21. fall — to drop
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. ball — a round shape

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