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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 polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. cap — a hat
  4. clip — a video
  5. cap — a lid
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. clip — for paper
  8. rule — a law
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. lie — to recline
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. clip — to cut
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. tube — the underground
  17. tube — a container
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. dip — to sink
  20. sharp — clever
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. rule — government
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. dip — a sauce

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