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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. court — of a king
  4. land — ground
  5. hand — help
  6. lean — thin
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. ball — a great time
  9. ball — a dance
  10. court — of law
  11. rash — a series
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. kid — to tease
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. court — for sport
  18. hand — in cards
  19. land — a country
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. land — to come down
  22. vault — a safe
  23. rash — hasty
  24. lean — to bend

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