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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: court · cap · mine · board · snap · saw · can · lie

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. mine — for digging
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. board — a committee
  5. cap — a hat
  6. snap — to click
  7. board — to get on
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. court — for sport
  11. court — of a king
  12. can — a tin
  13. cap — of ice
  14. can — to be able to
  15. cap — a lid
  16. court — of law
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. lie — to recline
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. saw — the tool
  22. can — a tin
  23. saw — the tool
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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