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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 116 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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. land — to come down
  3. row — to paddle
  4. court — for sport
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. land — a country
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. kid — to tease
  10. key — for a lock
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. row — a line
  13. key — in music
  14. pass — a permit
  15. court — of a king
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. kick — in football
  20. land — ground
  21. court — of law
  22. key — the most important part
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. pass — to succeed

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