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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. squash — to crush
  3. court — of law
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. game — a match
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. squash — the sport
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. kid — to tease
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. court — for sport
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. branch — a division
  19. game — wild animals
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. snap — to click
  23. kid — child
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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