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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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. cap — a hat
  3. perch — the fish
  4. bank — for money
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. cap — a lid
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. stand — to bear
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. bank — of a river
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. game — wild animals
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. shower — rain
  20. game — a match
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. bank — for money
  24. shower — to wash

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