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

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. fall — the season
  3. fall — to drop
  4. mug — to rob
  5. present — a gift
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. mug — a cup
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. rule — government
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. present — there
  12. cap — a lid
  13. fall — to drop
  14. mug — a face
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. present — the time now
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. cap — of ice
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. stem — to come from
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. rule — a law

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