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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 · mug · arm · straw · kick · bound · fall · date

  1. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. cap — a hat
  4. cap — of ice
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. bound — certain
  7. fall — to drop
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. mug — a face
  10. kick — in football
  11. cap — a lid
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. fall — the season
  14. bound — obliged
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. mug — a cup
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. fall — to drop
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. date — the fruit
  22. mug — to rob
  23. bound — tied together
  24. arm — part of the body

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