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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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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 · hand · bound · pitcher · bay · toast · ground · wind

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. cap — a hat
  3. wind — moving air
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. wind — moving air
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. ground — the earth
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. ground — a position
  10. bound — certain
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. cap — of ice
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. bound — tied together
  15. cap — a lid
  16. ground — crushed
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. toast — bread
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. bound — obliged
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. hand — in cards
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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