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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. cap — a lid
  3. cap — of ice
  4. bulb — for light
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. chest — of your body
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. board — to get on
  9. board — a committee
  10. squash — the sport
  11. net — in sport
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. chest — a box
  16. bulb — for light
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. net — for catching
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. net — after costs
  22. chest — of your body
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. squash — to crush

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