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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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. hand — help
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. hand — in cards
  6. tube — the underground
  7. mug — a cup
  8. stem — to come from
  9. file — a tool
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. tube — a container
  13. file — a document
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. fine — high quality
  16. mug — a face
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. snap — to click
  19. file — a line of people
  20. cap — a hat
  21. fine — all right
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. mug — to rob
  24. cap — a lid

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