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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. key — for a lock
  4. fork — in a road
  5. cap — of ice
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. cap — a lid
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. mug — a cup
  10. spring — a coil
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. mug — to rob
  15. spring — the season
  16. mug — a face
  17. key — the most important part
  18. saw — the tool
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. spring — of water
  21. key — in music
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. saw — the tool
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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