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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. mug — a cup
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. bank — of a river
  6. bank — for money
  7. cap — a hat
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. cell — a phone
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. bank — for money
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. kid — to tease
  15. bat — the animal
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. cell — in biology
  18. kid — child
  19. mug — a face
  20. pitch — completely
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. cap — a lid
  23. bat — for baseball
  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