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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: mug · hand · straw · cap · nail · wind · track · bat

  1. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. wind — moving air
  4. mug — to rob
  5. hand — in cards
  6. wind — moving air
  7. track — a path
  8. hand — help
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. bat — the animal
  12. cap — of ice
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. cap — a hat
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. cap — a lid
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. track — a song
  23. track — to keep track
  24. mug — a cup

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