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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 120 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. cap — a hat
  3. stand — to bear
  4. game — wild animals
  5. ball — a great time
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. cap — of ice
  9. bear — the animal
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. cap — a lid
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. game — a match
  14. bear — the animal
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. saw — the tool
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. court — of a king
  22. court — of law
  23. ball — a dance
  24. saw — the tool

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