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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 116 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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. cell — a phone
  3. board — a committee
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. track — a song
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. fall — the season
  10. track — to keep track
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. fall — to drop
  13. cap — of ice
  14. board — to get on
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. cell — in biology
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. cap — a lid
  21. track — a path
  22. fall — to drop
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. nail — on a finger

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