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

Word bank: snap · cap · fall · cell · safe · spell · foot · hand

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. fall — the season
  3. snap — to click
  4. fall — to drop
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. cell — in biology
  8. cap — a lid
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. hand — help
  12. cell — a phone
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. spell — magic
  15. cap — of ice
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. fall — to drop
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. spell — a short time
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. spell — letters
  23. hand — in cards
  24. foot — a measure

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