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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.

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: saw · hide · cap · spring · present · straw · game · net

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. present — there
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. net — in sport
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. net — after costs
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. spring — a coil
  9. spring — of water
  10. cap — a lid
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. saw — the tool
  13. cap — of ice
  14. spring — the season
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. saw — the tool
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. game — wild animals
  19. net — for catching
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. present — a gift
  22. present — the time now
  23. cap — a hat
  24. game — a kind of play

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