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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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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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. cap — a hat
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. mug — a cup
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. mug — a face
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. object — a thing
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. cap — a lid
  14. saw — the tool
  15. cap — of ice
  16. object — to protest
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. object — an aim
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. saw — the tool
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. mug — to rob
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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