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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 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. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. band — a ring
  4. drill — a practice
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. mine — for digging
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. kick — in football
  9. drill — the tool
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. cap — a lid
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. cap — of ice
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. drill — army training
  17. roll — a cake
  18. roll — a list
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. band — a music group
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. bear — the animal
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. bear — the animal

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