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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · game · mug · bat · fork · cold · saw · lean

  1. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. mug — a cup
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. lean — to bend
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. cap — of ice
  7. mug — a face
  8. cap — a hat
  9. lean — thin
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. saw — the tool
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. fork — in a road
  15. cold — not warm
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. game — wild animals
  19. game — a match
  20. bat — the animal
  21. cap — a lid
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. cold — an illness
  24. mug — to rob

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