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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: march · cap · dip · bowl · object · chest · hide · cell

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. chest — of your body
  3. march — music
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. chest — of your body
  6. cap — of ice
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. chest — a box
  9. object — a thing
  10. object — an aim
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. cap — a lid
  14. cell — a phone
  15. cell — in biology
  16. object — to protest
  17. dip — to sink
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. cap — a hat
  20. march — the month
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. cell — in a prison

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