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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 · lie · object · mate · swing · roll · snap · content

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  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. cap — a hat
  2. roll — a cake
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. mate — a friend
  5. cap — of ice
  6. content — happy
  7. mate — a partner
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. roll — a list
  10. swing — to play on
  11. object — an aim
  12. snap — to click
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. swing — music
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. swing — in golf
  17. cap — a lid
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. object — a thing
  20. lie — to recline
  21. object — to protest
  22. mate — to breed
  23. content — the amount
  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