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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: game · court · mouse · cabinet · straw · present · lash · cap

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. present — the time now
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. court — of law
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. game — a match
  13. game — wild animals
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. cap — a hat
  18. present — there
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. court — for sport
  21. present — a gift
  22. cap — of ice
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. cap — a lid

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