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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 116 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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. cap — a hat
  5. cap — of ice
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. bat — the animal
  8. bore — to drill
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. court — of law
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. court — of a king
  13. wax — to grow
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. court — for sport
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. bore — to tire
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. perch — the fish
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. perch — for a bird

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