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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. tube — the underground
  5. row — a line
  6. cap — a lid
  7. hand — help
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. hand — in cards
  13. rush — hurry
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. cap — of ice
  16. can — to be able to
  17. cap — a hat
  18. can — a tin
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. tube — a container
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. row — to paddle
  23. can — a tin
  24. cabinet — ministers

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