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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: bay · ball · kick · wake · pitcher · cap · straw · leaves

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. cap — a lid
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. cap — of ice
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. kick — in football
  10. ball — a dance
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. cap — a hat
  22. wake — a trail
  23. ball — a great time
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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