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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  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 — of a king
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. dip — to sink
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. kick — in football
  7. chip — to eat
  8. tear — from crying
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. court — for sport
  14. chip — for betting
  15. tear — from crying
  16. court — of law
  17. hand — in cards
  18. hand — help
  19. tear — to rip
  20. stand — to bear
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. chip — in a computer
  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