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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. cap — of ice
  5. squash — to crush
  6. squash — the sport
  7. bound — tied together
  8. rash — hasty
  9. cap — a hat
  10. last — final
  11. land — a country
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. land — to come down
  14. bound — obliged
  15. tear — from crying
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. tear — to rip
  18. bound — certain
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. last — finally
  21. rash — a series
  22. land — ground
  23. last — to go on
  24. tear — from crying

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