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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. fall — to drop
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. mug — a face
  9. prune — to trim
  10. mug — to rob
  11. mug — a cup
  12. prune — to trim
  13. fall — the season
  14. cap — a hat
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. cap — of ice
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. fall — to drop
  19. capital — a city
  20. pitch — completely
  21. vault — a safe
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. capital — money
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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