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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 120 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 turn the ________________ on?
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. ground — crushed
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. cap — a hat
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. ground — a position
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. bark — to shout
  14. tube — the underground
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. cap — of ice
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. tube — a container
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. cap — a lid
  23. ground — the earth
  24. leaves — lets stay

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