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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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Word bank
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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: bat · board · rash · cap · bear · firm · clip · court

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. bear — the animal
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. cap — a hat
  5. bat — the animal
  6. rash — hasty
  7. bear — the animal
  8. rash — a series
  9. firm — decided
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. cap — of ice
  13. board — to get on
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. clip — to cut
  16. court — for sport
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. firm — steady
  19. cap — a lid
  20. firm — a company
  21. board — a committee
  22. clip — a video
  23. clip — for paper
  24. court — of law

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