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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.

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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. can — a tin
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. row — a line
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. mark — a grade
  9. cap — of ice
  10. rest — what's left
  11. can — to be able to
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. mark — a trace
  14. stem — to come from
  15. cap — a hat
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. row — to paddle
  18. can — a tin
  19. dip — to sink
  20. rest — a break
  21. cap — a lid
  22. rest — what's left
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. stem — a stem cell

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