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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. cap — a lid
  4. mug — to rob
  5. tear — from crying
  6. squash — to crush
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. tear — from crying
  9. mug — a cup
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. tear — to rip
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. pitch — completely
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. key — the most important part
  16. mug — a face
  17. snap — to click
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. cap — of ice
  20. key — in music
  21. key — for a lock
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. cap — a hat
  24. squash — the vegetable

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