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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. court — of law
  3. craft — boats
  4. tube — a container
  5. cap — a hat
  6. lean — to bend
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. court — for sport
  9. lean — thin
  10. craft — a skill
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. drill — army training
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. drill — the tool
  15. tube — the underground
  16. court — of a king
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. board — a committee
  19. cap — a lid
  20. board — to get on
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. cap — of ice
  24. drill — a practice

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