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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. fall — to drop
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. cap — a hat
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. chest — of your body
  7. fall — the season
  8. mine — for digging
  9. cap — of ice
  10. stem — to come from
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. chest — of your body
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. fall — to drop
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. chest — a box
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. deal — to handle

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