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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: rush · wind · kid · stand · present · date · pit · court

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. present — there
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. present — a gift
  6. pit — a hole
  7. kid — child
  8. present — the time now
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. court — for sport
  12. wind — moving air
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. wind — moving air
  16. pit — in a race
  17. stand — to bear
  18. date — the fruit
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. court — of a king
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. rush — hurry
  23. kid — to tease
  24. court — of law

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