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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: cap · tear · cabinet · fork · pit · club · stick · safe

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. cap — of ice
  5. pit — a hole
  6. cap — a hat
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. tear — from crying
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. tear — from crying
  13. fork — in a road
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. club — for golf
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. pit — in a race
  22. club — for dancing
  23. cap — a lid
  24. club — a group

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