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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: hide · pit · tube · cap · pass · mark · rest · cold

  1. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. rest — what's left
  5. cold — an illness
  6. pit — a hole
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. pass — a permit
  10. cap — a lid
  11. tube — the underground
  12. mark — a grade
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. mark — a trace
  15. cold — not warm
  16. cap — a hat
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. tube — a container
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. pit — in a race
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. cap — of ice
  24. rest — what's left

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