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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 took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. shower — rain
  3. cell — in biology
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. cell — a phone
  6. bear — the animal
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. shower — to wash
  9. bear — the animal
  10. stock — goods
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. stock — shares
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. snap — to click
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. cap — of ice
  22. cap — a lid
  23. pitch — completely
  24. cell — in a prison

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