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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. bat — the animal
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. staff — a stick
  9. cap — of ice
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. staff — employees
  13. rock — a stone
  14. hand — in cards
  15. staff — employees
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. rock — music
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. cap — a lid
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. hand — help
  24. cap — a hat

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