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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: cap · rash · mouse · hand · can · mug · track · cold

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. hand — help
  3. mug — a face
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. track — to keep track
  7. mug — a cup
  8. rash — a series
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. cap — a lid
  11. rash — hasty
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. cap — of ice
  15. cap — a hat
  16. track — a song
  17. mug — to rob
  18. hand — in cards
  19. can — to be able to
  20. cold — not warm
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. can — a tin
  23. track — a path
  24. can — a tin

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