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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. object — to protest
  3. cap — of ice
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. cell — in biology
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. craft — boats
  10. cell — a phone
  11. band — a ring
  12. deal — to handle
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. object — a thing
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. cap — a hat
  18. object — an aim
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. craft — a skill
  21. band — a music group
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. bat — the animal
  24. bat — for baseball

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