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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. The water is too ________________.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. suit — clothes
  4. court — of a king
  5. mate — a friend
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. court — of law
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. bark — to shout
  11. cap — a hat
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. cap — of ice
  16. sharp — clever
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. suit — in cards
  19. mate — a partner
  20. cold — an illness
  21. suit — to fit
  22. court — for sport
  23. mate — to breed
  24. cap — a lid

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