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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. wound — an injury
  3. cap — of ice
  4. can — to be able to
  5. can — a tin
  6. pit — in a race
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. hand — in cards
  9. mine — for digging
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. wound — an injury
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. cap — a lid
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. cap — a hat
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. can — a tin
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. hand — help

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