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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.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: kid · date · squash · cap · staff · saw · court · mug

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. mug — a cup
  3. court — for sport
  4. staff — employees
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. squash — the sport
  7. mug — to rob
  8. cap — of ice
  9. squash — to crush
  10. saw — the tool
  11. cap — a hat
  12. cap — a lid
  13. kid — child
  14. staff — a stick
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. court — of law
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. kid — to tease
  21. staff — employees
  22. saw — the tool
  23. mug — a face
  24. date — the fruit

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