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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. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. track — a path
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. ball — a great time
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. cap — a lid
  9. track — to keep track
  10. shower — to wash
  11. shower — rain
  12. drill — a practice
  13. drill — army training
  14. cap — a hat
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. track — a song
  17. drill — the tool
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. pit — in a race
  21. stand — to bear
  22. pit — a hole
  23. ball — a dance
  24. ball — a round shape

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