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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. tube — a container
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. mark — a grade
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. cold — not warm
  11. cap — of ice
  12. hand — in cards
  13. cold — an illness
  14. mark — a trace
  15. cap — a lid
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. hand — help
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. cap — a hat
  21. snap — to click
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. tube — the underground

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