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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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. stock — shares
  3. cap — a lid
  4. lie — to recline
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. file — a document
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. bat — the animal
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. bark — to shout
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. cap — of ice
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. file — a line of people
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. file — a tool
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. stock — goods

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