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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. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. chest — of your body
  6. cap — a hat
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. track — to keep track
  9. cap — of ice
  10. chest — a box
  11. clip — for paper
  12. fall — to drop
  13. fall — to drop
  14. content — happy
  15. clip — a video
  16. staff — employees
  17. chest — of your body
  18. staff — employees
  19. content — the amount
  20. track — a path
  21. clip — to cut
  22. staff — a stick
  23. track — a song
  24. fall — the season

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