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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  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. bowl — to roll
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. hand — help
  5. kid — to tease
  6. hand — in cards
  7. rule — government
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. mark — a trace
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. court — of a king
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. rule — a law
  17. court — for sport
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. perch — the fish
  22. mark — a grade
  23. court — of law
  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