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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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. cap — a lid
  3. net — in sport
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. mug — a face
  6. kid — to tease
  7. ball — a great time
  8. ball — a dance
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. bear — the animal
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. cap — of ice
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. board — to get on
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. net — for catching
  19. kid — child
  20. bear — the animal
  21. mug — to rob
  22. cap — a hat
  23. board — a committee
  24. net — after costs

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