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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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. wound — an injury
  4. cap — a lid
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. fork — in a road
  9. game — a match
  10. net — for catching
  11. can — a tin
  12. net — in sport
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. net — after costs
  15. fall — to drop
  16. cap — a hat
  17. can — a tin
  18. can — to be able to
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. fall — the season
  21. fall — to drop
  22. wound — an injury
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. game — wild animals

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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