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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. cap — a hat
  4. spell — magic
  5. court — of a king
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. cap — of ice
  8. spell — letters
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. snap — to click
  12. stem — to come from
  13. drill — a practice
  14. spell — a short time
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. drill — the tool
  18. court — of law
  19. rush — hurry
  20. court — for sport
  21. cap — a lid
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. drill — army training
  24. stem — of a plant

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