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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 120 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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Word bank
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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: cell · bat · cap · snap · mouse · dip · bark · cabinet

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. bark — to shout
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. cell — in biology
  7. cap — a hat
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. cap — of ice
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. bat — the animal
  17. cap — a lid
  18. cell — a phone
  19. dip — to sink
  20. snap — to click
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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