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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. cap — of ice
  3. tear — to rip
  4. cue — for pool
  5. track — to keep track
  6. tear — from crying
  7. season — in sport
  8. track — a song
  9. cap — a hat
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. cap — a lid
  12. track — a path
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. chip — to eat
  15. chip — for betting
  16. season — of the year
  17. tear — from crying
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. mug — a face
  20. cue — a signal
  21. cue — a hint
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. mug — a cup
  24. season — to add flavour

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