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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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. mark — a trace
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. tear — to rip
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. cap — a lid
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. foot — a measure
  13. tear — from crying
  14. mark — a grade
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. tear — from crying
  21. scale — in music
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. cap — of ice
  24. scale — size or range

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