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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. cap — a hat
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. mug — a cup
  5. rock — a stone
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. rock — music
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. land — to come down
  10. mug — to rob
  11. wound — an injury
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. land — ground
  14. cap — of ice
  15. saw — the tool
  16. wound — an injury
  17. kid — to tease
  18. cap — a lid
  19. kid — child
  20. land — a country
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. mug — a face
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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