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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. bat — the animal
  3. clip — to cut
  4. clip — for paper
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. cap — of ice
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. lean — to bend
  10. clip — a video
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. last — to go on
  14. lean — thin
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. last — finally
  18. last — final
  19. cap — a lid
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. toast — bread
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. stand — to bear
  24. cap — a hat

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