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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: date · snap · spell · kid · court · fine · chair · shower

  1. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  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 — high quality
  2. spell — magic
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. court — of a king
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. kid — to tease
  8. date — the fruit
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. chair — a leader
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. snap — to click
  13. court — of law
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. spell — letters
  16. court — for sport
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. shower — to wash
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. shower — rain
  21. spell — a short time
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. fine — all right
  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