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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. chest — of your body
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. plane — a tool
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. chest — a box
  10. wound — an injury
  11. cap — a hat
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. dip — to sink
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. chest — of your body
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. wound — an injury
  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