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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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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 · court · suit · kick · present · wound · march · cue

  1. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  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. present — there
  2. suit — to fit
  3. march — the month
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. suit — clothes
  6. wound — an injury
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. cue — for pool
  10. present — a gift
  11. cue — a hint
  12. court — of law
  13. wound — an injury
  14. kick — in football
  15. march — the month
  16. court — of a king
  17. cue — a signal
  18. court — for sport
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. suit — in cards
  21. present — the time now
  22. march — music
  23. kid — to tease
  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