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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: kid · rest · tube · cabinet · sharp · court · swing · mug

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. court — of law
  3. rest — what's left
  4. mug — a face
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. swing — music
  8. sharp — clever
  9. rest — a break
  10. mug — to rob
  11. swing — in golf
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. court — for sport
  14. rest — what's left
  15. court — of a king
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. tube — the underground
  19. swing — to play on
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. tube — a container
  22. mug — a cup
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. kid — to tease

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