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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. cap — of ice
  3. bass — low music
  4. net — after costs
  5. object — to protest
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. bass — the fish
  9. object — a thing
  10. net — for catching
  11. object — an aim
  12. hand — in cards
  13. toast — bread
  14. cap — a hat
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. tear — to rip
  17. tear — from crying
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. hand — help
  20. net — in sport
  21. tear — from crying
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. snap — to click

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