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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. fall — the season
  3. fine — high quality
  4. cap — a hat
  5. hand — in cards
  6. cell — in biology
  7. fall — to drop
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. drill — the tool
  10. fine — all right
  11. drill — a practice
  12. drill — army training
  13. mug — a cup
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. mug — a face
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. cell — a phone
  18. hand — help
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. fall — to drop
  21. cap — a lid
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. cap — of ice
  24. mug — to rob

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