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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 116 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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. bank — for money
  3. mug — a face
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. game — a match
  6. cap — a lid
  7. can — to be able to
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. mug — to rob
  11. bank — for money
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. cap — a hat
  14. game — wild animals
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. bank — of a river
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. cap — of ice
  21. can — a tin
  22. mug — a cup
  23. plane — a tool
  24. game — a kind of play

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