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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. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. sharp — clever
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. tube — a container
  5. cap — a hat
  6. cap — of ice
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. cap — a lid
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. bat — the animal
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. tube — the underground
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. staff — employees
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. staff — employees
  23. staff — a stick
  24. toast — bread

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