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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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. kick — in football
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. ground — the earth
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. lean — to bend
  9. lean — thin
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. mark — a grade
  12. cap — a lid
  13. ground — crushed
  14. cap — of ice
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. branch — a division
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. ground — a position
  20. mark — a trace
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. kick — with a leg

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