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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 120 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 have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. chip — for betting
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. cap — of ice
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. file — a line of people
  14. branch — a division
  15. chip — to eat
  16. file — a tool
  17. pound — a weight
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. cap — a lid
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. file — a document

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