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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. suit — to fit
  3. suit — in cards
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. hand — in cards
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. court — of law
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. kid — child
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. suit — clothes
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. vault — a safe
  16. court — of a king
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. pound — a weight
  19. kid — to tease
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. jam — in traffic
  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