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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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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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. cap — of ice
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. bear — the animal
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. hand — help
  7. bear — the animal
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. hand — in cards
  10. wake — a trail
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. pitch — completely
  13. bark — to shout
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. cap — a hat
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. snap — to click
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. pitch — a sports field

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