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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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. mug — to rob
  4. mug — a face
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. cap — a hat
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. mug — a cup
  15. cap — a lid
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. kid — child
  19. kid — to tease
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. pass — a permit
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. bowl — to roll

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