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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · calf · suit · fan · band · drill · kid · squash

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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. calf — a young animal
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. band — a ring
  7. drill — army training
  8. court — of a king
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. suit — clothes
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. band — a music group
  13. drill — a practice
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. suit — to fit
  17. kid — to tease
  18. suit — in cards
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. drill — the tool
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. court — for sport
  23. squash — to crush
  24. squash — the sport

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