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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 124 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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. foot — a measure
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. cap — a hat
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. lie — to recline
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. fall — to drop
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. fall — to drop
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. cap — of ice
  14. fall — the season
  15. court — of a king
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. cap — a lid
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. court — of law
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. mine — for digging

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