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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. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. board — to get on
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. bass — low music
  6. cap — of ice
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. spring — of water
  10. bat — the animal
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. spring — the season
  13. bass — the fish
  14. bank — for money
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. bank — for money
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. wind — moving air
  19. wind — moving air
  20. board — a committee
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. bank — of a river
  23. cap — a lid
  24. spring — a coil

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