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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. court — of a king
  4. suit — in cards
  5. bound — certain
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. cap — of ice
  8. row — a line
  9. court — of law
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. mine — for digging
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. cap — a hat
  15. bound — obliged
  16. bound — tied together
  17. row — to paddle
  18. suit — to fit
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. court — for sport
  21. suit — clothes
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. mine — belonging to me

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