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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. wound — an injury
  3. bass — low music
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. cap — of ice
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. mate — to breed
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. mate — a friend
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. board — a committee
  13. bass — the fish
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. mate — a partner
  16. board — to get on
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. wound — an injury
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. cap — a lid
  24. board — a flat piece

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