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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: ball · straw · mug · sharp · fan · tube · court · cap

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. court — of law
  3. cap — of ice
  4. cap — a lid
  5. mug — a cup
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. cap — a hat
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. ball — a great time
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. sharp — clever
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. tube — a container
  17. tube — the underground
  18. mug — to rob
  19. court — of a king
  20. mug — a face
  21. court — for sport
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. ball — a dance

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