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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 120 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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. cap — of ice
  4. object — to protest
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. cap — a lid
  7. cap — a hat
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. game — a match
  11. game — wild animals
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. object — an aim
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. object — a thing
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. snap — to click

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