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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 116 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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. tube — a container
  3. perch — the fish
  4. stand — to bear
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. cap — a lid
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. tube — the underground
  14. cap — a hat
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. dip — to sink
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. cap — of ice
  23. bat — the animal
  24. perch — for a bird

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