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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. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  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. court — of law
  2. ground — crushed
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. ground — the earth
  6. rash — hasty
  7. firm — steady
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. firm — decided
  10. court — for sport
  11. kid — to tease
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. rash — a series
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. ground — a position
  16. firm — a company
  17. court — of a king
  18. current — of water
  19. mark — a trace
  20. mark — a grade
  21. current — happening now
  22. current — electric
  23. calf — a young animal
  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