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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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. row — a line
  4. cap — a lid
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. cap — a hat
  8. tube — the underground
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. cap — of ice
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. band — a music group
  16. mark — a grade
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. band — a ring
  20. tube — a container
  21. row — to paddle
  22. mark — a trace
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. bat — in an idiom

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