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

Word bank: stick · straw · land · mine · cell · cap · row · firm

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. row — a line
  6. row — to paddle
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. land — ground
  9. cell — in biology
  10. firm — a company
  11. land — a country
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. firm — steady
  14. firm — decided
  15. cell — a phone
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. cap — of ice
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. cap — a lid
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. land — to come down
  24. mine — for digging

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