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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. lean — to bend
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. hand — help
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. lean — thin
  9. row — to paddle
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. cap — of ice
  15. row — a line
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. hand — in cards
  18. rock — music
  19. fine — high quality
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. cap — a hat
  22. rock — a stone
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. fine — all right

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