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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. cap — a lid
  3. cap — of ice
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. lie — to recline
  7. wind — moving air
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. roll — a cake
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. stock — shares
  18. roll — a list
  19. stock — goods
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. stand — to bear
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. wind — moving air

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