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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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. roll — a list
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. can — to be able to
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. cap — of ice
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. can — a tin
  16. roll — a cake
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. cap — a lid
  20. can — a tin
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. saw — the tool
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. saw — the tool

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