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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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. court — of a king
  3. can — a tin
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. can — a tin
  7. can — to be able to
  8. cap — a lid
  9. bear — the animal
  10. snap — to click
  11. cap — a hat
  12. cold — not warm
  13. court — of law
  14. court — for sport
  15. club — for golf
  16. club — a group
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. cold — an illness
  19. cell — in biology
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. cell — a phone
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. cap — of ice
  24. club — for dancing

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