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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: cell · snap · bear · squash · cap · bay · dip · rule

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  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 mare is ________________ in color.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. rule — government
  3. rule — a law
  4. cell — a phone
  5. cell — in biology
  6. cap — of ice
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. squash — to crush
  9. bear — the animal
  10. dip — to sink
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. bear — the animal
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. cap — a hat
  15. snap — to click
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. cap — a lid
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. squash — the sport
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. dip — a sauce

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