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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. court — for sport
  6. court — of law
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. cap — of ice
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. hand — help
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. cap — a lid
  15. ball — a dance
  16. pound — a weight
  17. ball — a great time
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. hand — in cards
  22. cap — a hat
  23. court — of a king
  24. straw — dry grass

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