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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 polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. court — of law
  3. wake — a trail
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. court — of a king
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. bound — tied together
  12. bulb — for light
  13. bulb — for light
  14. tube — a container
  15. bound — obliged
  16. cap — a lid
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. tube — the underground
  20. cap — a hat
  21. bound — certain
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. court — for sport
  24. straw — a straw man

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