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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. wake — a trail
  4. cap — a hat
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. fork — in a road
  7. rule — a law
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. kick — in football
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. mine — for digging
  12. game — wild animals
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. rule — government
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. game — a match
  20. cap — of ice
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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