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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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. cap — a lid
  5. land — to come down
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. land — a country
  8. kick — in football
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. land — ground
  11. wound — an injury
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. cap — a hat
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. wound — an injury
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. fine — high quality
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. fine — all right

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