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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 120 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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. net — in sport
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. cap — a hat
  8. bulb — for light
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. last — finally
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. wake — a trail
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. last — final
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. net — for catching
  17. net — after costs
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. last — to go on
  20. bulb — for light
  21. sharp — clever
  22. wind — moving air
  23. wind — moving air
  24. cap — of ice

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