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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 · kid · lean · mug · snap · drill · fine · game

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. lean — to bend
  3. drill — the tool
  4. mug — a cup
  5. snap — to click
  6. cap — a lid
  7. drill — army training
  8. fine — all right
  9. game — wild animals
  10. kid — to tease
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. drill — a practice
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. mug — to rob
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. game — a match
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. mug — a face
  19. cap — of ice
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. fine — high quality
  23. kid — child
  24. lean — thin

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