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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: pit · mark · court · bound · leaves · fall · row · kid

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. fall — to drop
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. mark — a grade
  6. pit — a hole
  7. kid — child
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. court — of law
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. court — of a king
  13. row — to paddle
  14. pit — in a race
  15. fall — the season
  16. bound — certain
  17. bound — tied together
  18. kid — to tease
  19. fall — to drop
  20. row — a line
  21. mark — a trace
  22. court — for sport
  23. bound — obliged
  24. leaves — to go away

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