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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 goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. cap — a hat
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. can — a tin
  5. pop — soda
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. cap — a lid
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. pop — music
  11. pop — to visit
  12. squash — the sport
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. can — to be able to
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. cap — of ice
  18. stem — to come from
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. can — a tin
  23. squash — to crush
  24. mouse — the animal

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