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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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. court — of law
  3. court — for sport
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. bass — low music
  6. chair — a leader
  7. bass — the fish
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. cap — of ice
  11. spring — the season
  12. pit — in a race
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. cap — a lid
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. court — of a king
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. pit — a hole
  21. dip — to sink
  22. spring — a coil
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. spring — of water

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