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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 116 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. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. court — of law
  4. wind — moving air
  5. prune — to trim
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. court — for sport
  8. kid — to tease
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. prune — to trim
  11. perch — the fish
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. stand — to bear
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. cap — a hat
  17. court — of a king
  18. cap — of ice
  19. wind — moving air
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. cap — a lid
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. kid — child

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