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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 goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. court — of law
  3. scale — in music
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. mate — a friend
  7. kid — child
  8. mug — a cup
  9. mate — to breed
  10. ground — the earth
  11. kid — to tease
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. ground — crushed
  16. scale — size or range
  17. mug — to rob
  18. mate — a partner
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. ground — a position
  21. mug — a face
  22. court — of a king
  23. court — for sport
  24. scale — for weighing

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