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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 120 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 got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  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. fine — a penalty
  2. court — for sport
  3. court — of law
  4. pitch — completely
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. current — electric
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. fine — high quality
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. fine — all right
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. stand — to bear
  15. scale — size or range
  16. scale — in music
  17. current — of water
  18. kid — to tease
  19. object — to protest
  20. object — an aim
  21. object — a thing
  22. court — of a king
  23. current — happening now
  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