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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 polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. cap — a lid
  4. hand — in cards
  5. suit — to fit
  6. court — of law
  7. suit — in cards
  8. hand — help
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. court — of a king
  11. cap — a hat
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. wound — an injury
  14. suit — clothes
  15. court — for sport
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. wound — an injury
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. bore — to tire
  24. bore — to drill

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