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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. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. firm — steady
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. kid — to tease
  6. cap — of ice
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. cap — a hat
  9. game — a match
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. board — to get on
  12. firm — decided
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. bat — the animal
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. game — wild animals
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. firm — a company
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. kid — child
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. board — a committee
  24. jam — a tight spot

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