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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. cap — a lid
  4. bore — to drill
  5. cap — a hat
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. chip — for betting
  9. ground — crushed
  10. swing — music
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. ground — a position
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. bore — to tire
  15. chip — to eat
  16. ground — the earth
  17. fall — to drop
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. swing — to play on
  20. cap — of ice
  21. swing — in golf
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. fall — to drop
  24. chip — in a computer

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