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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. kid — child
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. roll — a list
  5. kid — to tease
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. court — of law
  8. ball — a great time
  9. pound — a weight
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. ball — a dance
  14. roll — a cake
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. court — of a king
  19. hand — in cards
  20. court — for sport
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. hand — help
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. calf — a young animal

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