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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: stand · lie · court · straw · mine · sharp · cap · staff

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. staff — employees
  7. stand — to bear
  8. cap — a lid
  9. court — of a king
  10. mine — for digging
  11. cap — a hat
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. staff — a stick
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. staff — employees
  17. court — for sport
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. sharp — clever
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. court — of law
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. lie — to recline

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