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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. squash — the sport
  3. squash — to crush
  4. cap — a hat
  5. land — to come down
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. cap — of ice
  9. land — a country
  10. rock — a stone
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. rock — music
  13. object — to protest
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. object — an aim
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. object — a thing
  20. saw — the tool
  21. land — ground
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. cap — a lid
  24. saw — the tool

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