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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. spring — of water
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. rush — hurry
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. cap — a hat
  7. track — to keep track
  8. row — a line
  9. spring — the season
  10. row — to paddle
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. bat — the animal
  13. deal — to handle
  14. track — a song
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. track — a path
  21. cap — of ice
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. spring — a coil
  24. row — a quarrel

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