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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. tube — a container
  3. cap — of ice
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. net — for catching
  6. cell — a phone
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. cue — a signal
  9. net — in sport
  10. cell — in biology
  11. net — after costs
  12. cue — a hint
  13. date — the fruit
  14. cap — a hat
  15. cue — for pool
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. perch — the fish
  21. tube — the underground
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. date — on the calendar

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