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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. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. clip — a video
  3. clip — for paper
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. pop — music
  8. pop — soda
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. cap — a lid
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. toast — bread
  16. clip — to cut
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. pop — to visit
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. cap — of ice
  21. pound — a weight
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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