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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 120 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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. cap — of ice
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. bound — certain
  6. rash — hasty
  7. band — a music group
  8. cap — a hat
  9. can — a tin
  10. cap — a lid
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. bound — tied together
  15. can — to be able to
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. saw — the tool
  19. saw — the tool
  20. can — a tin
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. bound — obliged
  24. band — a ring

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