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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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. court — for sport
  3. march — music
  4. cap — a hat
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. net — for catching
  7. roll — a cake
  8. cap — of ice
  9. suit — in cards
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. suit — to fit
  12. march — the month
  13. cap — a lid
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. court — of a king
  16. net — after costs
  17. roll — a list
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. suit — clothes
  20. court — of law
  21. net — in sport
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. march — the month

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