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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. roll — a cake
  3. suit — to fit
  4. cap — of ice
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. tube — a container
  7. cap — a hat
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. suit — in cards
  10. roll — a list
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. court — of law
  13. bat — the animal
  14. tube — the underground
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. court — for sport
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. suit — clothes
  20. cap — a lid
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. court — of a king
  24. roll — on a roll

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