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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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. drill — the tool
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. land — a country
  5. cap — of ice
  6. mate — a partner
  7. mate — a friend
  8. charge — electricity
  9. hand — help
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. drill — a practice
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. cap — a lid
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. charge — a price
  18. land — ground
  19. charge — in control
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. drill — army training
  22. mate — to breed
  23. land — to come down
  24. hand — in cards

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