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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: cap · mug · tube · stock · pit · face · straw · hide

  1. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. cap — of ice
  3. tube — a container
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. mug — to rob
  7. mug — a cup
  8. face — part of the head
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. mug — a face
  11. stock — goods
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. cap — a hat
  15. cap — a lid
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. tube — the underground
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. pit — a hole
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. face — to confront
  22. face — to point toward
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. stock — shares

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