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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. present — the time now
  3. cap — of ice
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. cap — a hat
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. wake — a trail
  9. present — a gift
  10. cap — a lid
  11. tube — a container
  12. snap — to click
  13. game — wild animals
  14. game — a match
  15. tube — the underground
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. hand — in cards
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. present — there
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. hand — help

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