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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. rash — hasty
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. pop — to visit
  6. mug — a cup
  7. court — for sport
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. pop — soda
  10. kid — child
  11. saw — the tool
  12. court — of law
  13. court — of a king
  14. saw — the tool
  15. hand — in cards
  16. vault — a safe
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. mug — a face
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. mug — to rob
  21. rash — a series
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. kid — to tease
  24. pop — music

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