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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. roll — a cake
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. cap — a lid
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. saw — the tool
  10. cap — a hat
  11. cap — of ice
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. roll — a list
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. saw — the tool
  21. dip — to sink
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. dip — to dunk

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