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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. cap — a lid
  3. drill — army training
  4. drill — the tool
  5. fall — the season
  6. club — for dancing
  7. cap — of ice
  8. tear — to rip
  9. present — the time now
  10. present — a gift
  11. fall — to drop
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. club — for golf
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. cell — in biology
  16. tear — from crying
  17. present — there
  18. club — a group
  19. cap — a hat
  20. drill — a practice
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. fall — to drop
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. tear — from crying

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