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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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. tube — a container
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. net — in sport
  6. cap — a hat
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. file — a tool
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. file — a document
  12. band — a ring
  13. rush — hurry
  14. file — a line of people
  15. net — after costs
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. net — for catching
  18. band — a music group
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. cap — a lid
  22. tube — the underground
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. tube — in a tire

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