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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. cap — of ice
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. cold — not warm
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. cap — a lid
  7. mug — a cup
  8. net — for catching
  9. chip — for betting
  10. net — in sport
  11. mug — to rob
  12. stem — to come from
  13. mug — a face
  14. net — after costs
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. chip — to eat
  18. cold — an illness

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