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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. saw — the tool
  3. saw — the tool
  4. mine — for digging
  5. cap — of ice
  6. net — after costs
  7. cap — a hat
  8. fork — in a road
  9. net — in sport
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. stand — to bear
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. ball — a great time
  20. wound — an injury
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. net — for catching
  23. ball — a dance
  24. wound — an injury

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