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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. board — to get on
  4. mate — a friend
  5. foot — a measure
  6. tube — the underground
  7. court — for sport
  8. board — a committee
  9. court — of a king
  10. mate — a partner
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. cap — of ice
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. tube — a container
  18. lie — to recline
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. mate — to breed
  21. court — of law
  22. cap — a hat
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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