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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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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: court · bore · object · kid · kick · mouse · tube · lie

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. kid — child
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. court — of law
  7. tube — a container
  8. court — of a king
  9. court — for sport
  10. lie — to recline
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. tube — the underground
  13. bore — to tire
  14. object — an aim
  15. object — to protest
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. kick — in football
  18. bore — to drill
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. object — a thing
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. kick — with a leg

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