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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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. bear — the animal
  3. net — in sport
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. net — for catching
  7. file — a line of people
  8. file — a document
  9. mark — a grade
  10. court — of law
  11. cap — a lid
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. cap — of ice
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. cap — a hat
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. file — a tool
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. mark — a trace
  21. net — after costs
  22. court — of a king
  23. bear — the animal
  24. mark — to pay attention

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