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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. court — for sport
  3. court — of a king
  4. suit — in cards
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. kid — child
  7. race — humankind
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. race — a contest
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. roll — a cake
  13. suit — clothes
  14. deal — to handle
  15. roll — a list
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. toast — bread
  19. pass — a permit
  20. court — of law
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. suit — to fit
  24. race — the arms race

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