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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. can — to be able to
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. drill — a practice
  8. cap — a lid
  9. drill — army training
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. mine — for digging
  12. can — a tin
  13. cap — a hat
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. game — a match
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. game — wild animals
  19. ball — a great time
  20. drill — the tool
  21. ball — a dance
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. can — a tin
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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