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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. lean — thin
  3. present — a gift
  4. board — to get on
  5. cap — a hat
  6. tube — the underground
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. cap — a lid
  10. lean — to bend
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. bat — the animal
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. present — the time now
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. board — a committee
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. tube — a container
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. cap — of ice
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. present — there
  24. nail — for a hammer

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