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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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. cap — a hat
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. content — the amount
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. deal — to handle
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. cold — not warm
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. cold — an illness
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. cap — a lid
  20. chair — a leader
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. content — happy
  24. deal — an agreement

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