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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: present · patient · straw · pass · foot · kid · cap · court

  1. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. present — a gift
  3. cap — of ice
  4. court — of a king
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. present — the time now
  7. foot — a measure
  8. kid — to tease
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. kid — child
  11. present — there
  12. court — for sport
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. court — of law
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. pass — a permit
  23. cap — a lid
  24. cap — a hat

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