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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 116 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. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. cap — a lid
  3. ball — a great time
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. kid — child
  7. cue — for pool
  8. can — to be able to
  9. can — a tin
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. cue — a hint
  12. can — a tin
  13. cap — of ice
  14. ball — a dance
  15. cell — a phone
  16. spring — of water
  17. cell — in biology
  18. cue — a signal
  19. spring — a coil
  20. cap — a hat
  21. spring — the season
  22. fall — to drop
  23. fall — the season
  24. kid — to tease

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