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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. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. court — for sport
  4. cap — a lid
  5. court — of law
  6. rest — what's left
  7. land — to come down
  8. snap — to click
  9. can — a tin
  10. court — of a king
  11. can — to be able to
  12. rest — a break
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. land — a country
  16. rest — what's left
  17. can — a tin
  18. dip — to sink
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. land — ground
  23. cap — a hat
  24. cap — of ice

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