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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 polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  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. cap — of ice
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. saw — the tool
  4. wound — an injury
  5. spell — letters
  6. spell — magic
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. last — finally
  10. cap — a hat
  11. last — final
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. wound — an injury
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. last — to go on
  20. saw — the tool
  21. cap — a lid
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. spell — a short time
  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