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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 120 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. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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. fall — to drop
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. content — the amount
  6. saw — the tool
  7. content — happy
  8. fall — to drop
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. firm — decided
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. kid — child
  14. cap — of ice
  15. firm — a company
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. kid — to tease
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. cap — a hat
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. saw — the tool
  23. pound — a weight
  24. fall — the season

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