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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: staff · cabinet · cap · content · hide · race · wind · tube

  1. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. staff — employees
  3. tube — a container
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. race — a contest
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. cap — of ice
  12. race — humankind
  13. race — the arms race
  14. content — happy
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. staff — employees
  17. staff — a stick
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. cap — a lid
  20. content — the amount
  21. cap — a hat
  22. wind — moving air
  23. wind — moving air
  24. tube — the underground

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