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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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. cap — a lid
  3. clip — a video
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. race — humankind
  6. snap — to click
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. land — ground
  9. can — a tin
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. can — a tin
  12. cap — a hat
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. cap — of ice
  15. land — a country
  16. clip — to cut
  17. land — to come down
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. race — a contest
  20. can — to be able to
  21. race — the arms race
  22. dip — to sink
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. clip — for paper

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