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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. lean — thin
  3. march — the month
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. club — a group
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. court — of law
  11. club — for dancing
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. march — music
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. club — for golf
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. march — the month
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. cap — a hat
  21. lean — to bend
  22. court — for sport
  23. court — of a king
  24. cap — of ice

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