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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. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. court — for sport
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. cue — a hint
  7. squash — the sport
  8. cap — a lid
  9. fall — to drop
  10. mark — a grade
  11. cap — of ice
  12. deal — to handle
  13. fall — to drop
  14. cue — a signal
  15. fall — the season
  16. court — of a king
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. squash — to crush
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. mark — a trace
  22. cue — for pool
  23. cap — a hat
  24. squash — the vegetable

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