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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 put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. saw — the tool
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. rule — a law
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. cap — of ice
  9. bulb — for light
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. band — a ring
  12. rule — government
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. band — a music group
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. saw — the tool
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. bulb — for light
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. mine — for digging
  24. cap — a hat

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