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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 speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. kid — to tease
  3. cap — a lid
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. cap — of ice
  6. shower — rain
  7. cell — a phone
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. lean — to bend
  10. lean — thin
  11. cap — a hat
  12. object — to protest
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. object — a thing
  21. object — an aim
  22. cell — in biology
  23. kid — child
  24. shower — to wash

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