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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. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. tube — a container
  3. spell — magic
  4. spell — letters
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. rock — a stone
  9. tube — the underground
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. firm — decided
  12. wind — moving air
  13. spell — a short time
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. cap — of ice
  16. bat — the animal
  17. firm — a company
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. cap — a hat
  20. wind — moving air
  21. snap — to click
  22. rock — music
  23. firm — steady
  24. rock — to move gently

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