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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 120 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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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: tear · straw · cap · pass · track · chest · deal · cabinet

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. tear — from crying
  3. pass — a permit
  4. track — a song
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. chest — of your body
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. track — to keep track
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. chest — a box
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. cap — a hat
  14. deal — to handle
  15. tear — to rip
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. track — a path
  21. tear — from crying
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. chest — of your body
  24. cap — of ice

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