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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. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. squash — to crush
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. hand — in cards
  5. march — the month
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. fine — all right
  9. cap — a hat
  10. march — music
  11. squash — the sport
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. wake — a trail
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. hand — help
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. saw — the tool
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. cap — of ice
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. fine — high quality
  22. saw — the tool
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. march — the month

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