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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.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. mug — a face
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. present — there
  5. mug — to rob
  6. present — a gift
  7. cap — a hat
  8. mug — a cup
  9. cap — of ice
  10. squash — to crush
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. wake — a trail
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. squash — the sport
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. present — the time now
  18. nail — on a finger

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