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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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. object — an aim
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. pop — to visit
  7. cold — an illness
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. cap — a hat
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. tube — a container
  13. cap — of ice
  14. cap — a lid
  15. cold — not warm
  16. file — a line of people
  17. pop — music
  18. object — to protest
  19. pop — soda
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. file — a document
  23. file — a tool
  24. tube — the underground

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