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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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. last — final
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. last — to go on
  6. cap — of ice
  7. cap — a lid
  8. can — to be able to
  9. kick — in football
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. rest — what's left
  12. last — finally
  13. can — a tin
  14. bat — the animal
  15. cell — in biology
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. cap — a hat
  19. rest — what's left
  20. rest — a break
  21. can — a tin
  22. toast — bread
  23. cell — a phone
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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