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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: straw · court · toast · hide · lean · cell

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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. toast — a drink to someone
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. cell — a phone
  7. lean — thin
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. lean — to bend
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. cell — in biology
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. toast — bread
  15. court — of law
  16. court — for sport
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. straw — to clutch at straws

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