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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 120 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. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. cap — a hat
  3. can — a tin
  4. clip — for paper
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. cap — of ice
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. deal — to handle
  10. cap — a lid
  11. tube — the underground
  12. bound — certain
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. clip — a video
  17. can — to be able to
  18. bound — tied together
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. bound — obliged
  22. can — a tin
  23. clip — to cut
  24. cabinet — ministers

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