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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. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. tube — a container
  3. court — of a king
  4. court — for sport
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. drill — a practice
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. tube — the underground
  9. hand — in cards
  10. mark — a grade
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. mark — a trace
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. hand — help
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. kid — child
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. drill — the tool
  23. kid — to tease
  24. drill — army training

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