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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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. court — of a king
  3. tube — a container
  4. can — a tin
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. cap — a lid
  7. tube — the underground
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. cap — a hat
  10. court — for sport
  11. cap — of ice
  12. kick — in football
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. can — a tin
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. court — of law
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. pass — a permit
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. can — to be able to
  24. stand — to bear

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