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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. cold — an illness
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. fall — to drop
  5. club — for dancing
  6. court — for sport
  7. fall — to drop
  8. cap — a hat
  9. dip — to sink
  10. court — of law
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. club — for golf
  13. club — a group
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. fall — the season
  16. cap — a lid
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. rock — music
  19. rock — a stone
  20. cap — of ice
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. cold — not warm

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