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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. cell — in biology
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. track — a song
  6. cap — a lid
  7. cap — a hat
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. fall — to drop
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. tube — the underground
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. cap — of ice
  14. fall — the season
  15. cell — a phone
  16. scale — size or range
  17. tube — a container
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. track — a path
  20. scale — in music
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. fall — to drop
  24. track — to keep track

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