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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. wound — an injury
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. ground — the earth
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. cap — a hat
  11. kid — child
  12. cap — a lid
  13. pass — a permit
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. kid — to tease
  16. wound — an injury
  17. cap — of ice
  18. ground — crushed
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. ground — a position
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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