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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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. drill — the tool
  3. mate — to breed
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. bank — for money
  6. squash — to crush
  7. drill — a practice
  8. rest — what's left
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. squash — the sport
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. rest — what's left
  15. cap — a lid
  16. rest — a break
  17. bank — for money
  18. mate — a partner
  19. bank — of a river
  20. cap — of ice
  21. mate — a friend
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. drill — army training

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