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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. hand — help
  3. bore — to tire
  4. court — of a king
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. court — for sport
  7. stock — shares
  8. court — of law
  9. mate — a friend
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. bass — low music
  12. cap — of ice
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. mate — to breed
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. mate — a partner
  17. stock — goods
  18. cap — a hat
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. bore — to drill
  22. hand — in cards
  23. bass — the fish
  24. bass — the instrument

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