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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. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. court — of law
  3. land — ground
  4. kid — to tease
  5. rest — what's left
  6. kid — child
  7. court — for sport
  8. wax — to grow
  9. court — of a king
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. land — a country
  13. row — to paddle
  14. firm — a company
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. firm — steady
  18. bulb — for light
  19. row — a line
  20. firm — decided
  21. rest — a break
  22. rest — what's left
  23. bulb — for light
  24. land — to come down

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