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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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. net — for catching
  3. mark — a trace
  4. net — after costs
  5. rest — what's left
  6. dip — to sink
  7. kid — to tease
  8. court — of law
  9. rest — what's left
  10. tube — a container
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. sharp — clever
  13. kid — child
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. court — of a king
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. mark — a grade
  20. net — in sport
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. tube — the underground
  23. court — for sport
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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