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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 hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. saw — the tool
  4. cap — a lid
  5. bulb — for light
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. toast — bread
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. wind — moving air
  10. saw — the tool
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. hand — help
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. cap — of ice
  17. bulb — for light
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. cap — a hat
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. hand — in cards
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. wind — moving air

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