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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. can — to be able to
  3. fall — to drop
  4. cap — a lid
  5. cap — of ice
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. saw — the tool
  9. cap — a hat
  10. kick — in football
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. can — a tin
  13. march — the month
  14. fall — to drop
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. march — the month
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. can — a tin
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. march — music
  23. saw — the tool
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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