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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. pass — a permit
  3. fall — to drop
  4. cap — a lid
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. cap — of ice
  7. cell — in biology
  8. cap — a hat
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. fall — to drop
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. hand — help
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. capital — a city
  18. capital — money
  19. stem — to come from
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. cell — a phone
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. hand — in cards
  24. capital — a big letter

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