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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 had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. drill — a practice
  3. drill — the tool
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. shower — to wash
  6. shower — rain
  7. season — in sport
  8. root — of a word
  9. roll — a cake
  10. fall — the season
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. roll — a list
  13. cap — a lid
  14. fall — to drop
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. root — the cause
  18. root — of a plant
  19. fall — to drop
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. season — of the year
  22. drill — army training
  23. cap — of ice
  24. roll — on a roll

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