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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: hand · cold · pit · season · cap · straw · mark · pitcher

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. mark — a trace
  4. hand — help
  5. cold — an illness
  6. cap — a hat
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. hand — in cards
  10. pit — in a race
  11. season — in sport
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. mark — a grade
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. cap — a lid
  17. season — of the year
  18. cap — of ice
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. pit — a hole
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. cold — not warm

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