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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. present — the time now
  6. bound — tied together
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. mug — a cup
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. cap — of ice
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. roll — a cake
  14. cap — a hat
  15. snap — to click
  16. present — there
  17. present — a gift
  18. bound — certain
  19. mug — to rob
  20. roll — a list
  21. mug — a face
  22. rash — a series
  23. bound — obliged
  24. rash — hasty

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