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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. drill — army training
  3. drill — the tool
  4. mate — a friend
  5. firm — a company
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. mate — a partner
  8. clip — a video
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. court — of law
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. kid — child
  14. mate — to breed
  15. firm — decided
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. prune — to trim
  18. clip — for paper
  19. kid — to tease
  20. prune — to trim
  21. drill — a practice
  22. clip — to cut
  23. firm — steady
  24. court — for 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