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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's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. cap — of ice
  6. staff — employees
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. clip — to cut
  10. stand — to bear
  11. firm — steady
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. snap — to click
  14. staff — a stick
  15. clip — a video
  16. cap — a lid
  17. ball — a dance
  18. ball — a great time
  19. firm — decided
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. clip — for paper
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. firm — a company
  24. staff — employees

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