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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. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. board — to get on
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. court — of law
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. sharp — clever
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. cell — in biology
  16. cell — a phone
  17. dip — to sink
  18. court — of a king
  19. board — a committee
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. stand — to bear
  24. dip — to dunk

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