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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: date · cell · cap · tear · mug · chip · hide · ruler

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. cell — a phone
  4. chip — for betting
  5. date — the fruit
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. mug — a cup
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. mug — to rob
  15. mug — a face
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. cap — a hat
  18. tear — from crying
  19. cap — of ice
  20. cell — in biology
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. tear — from crying
  23. chip — to eat
  24. tear — to rip

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