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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. cap — a lid
  3. track — a song
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. pit — a hole
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. track — a path
  11. tube — a container
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. pit — in a race
  15. rash — a series
  16. track — to keep track
  17. rash — hasty
  18. snap — to click
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. cap — of ice
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. cap — a hat
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. tube — the underground

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