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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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. key — the most important part
  3. mine — for digging
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. cap — a hat
  6. row — a line
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. key — for a lock
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. key — in music
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. can — to be able to
  15. squash — the sport
  16. pound — a weight
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. squash — to crush
  19. can — a tin
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. cap — a lid
  22. row — to paddle
  23. can — a tin
  24. pound — to hit hard

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