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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: board · straw · mark · mug · cabinet · face · kid · court

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. kid — to tease
  3. mug — a cup
  4. face — to point toward
  5. court — of a king
  6. board — a committee
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. board — to get on
  9. court — of law
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. mark — a trace
  13. kid — child
  14. mug — a face
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. mark — a grade
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. face — part of the head
  21. face — to confront
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. mug — to rob
  24. court — for sport

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