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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.

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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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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. cap — of ice
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. cap — a lid
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. cap — a hat
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. mine — for digging
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. wind — moving air
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. wind — moving air
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. snap — to click

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