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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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. cap — a hat
  3. fine — high quality
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. cap — of ice
  9. fine — all right
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. bound — obliged
  12. bound — certain
  13. tube — the underground
  14. bound — tied together
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. tube — a container
  17. bulb — for light
  18. bulb — for light
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. shower — rain
  23. bat — the animal
  24. shower — to wash

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