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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. pop — to visit
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. club — for golf
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. club — a group
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. club — for dancing
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. net — after costs
  14. cap — of ice
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. cap — a hat
  17. bear — the animal
  18. net — in sport
  19. bear — the animal
  20. pop — music
  21. net — for catching
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. cap — a lid
  24. nail — on a finger

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