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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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. dip — to sink
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. clip — to cut
  5. clip — for paper
  6. clip — a video
  7. lie — to recline
  8. cap — a hat
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. drill — a practice
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. cell — a phone
  15. cap — a lid
  16. cell — in biology
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. drill — army training
  23. drill — the tool
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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