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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. court — of law
  4. firm — steady
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. court — for sport
  7. cap — a lid
  8. bore — to drill
  9. swing — music
  10. race — a contest
  11. lean — to bend
  12. swing — to play on
  13. squash — to crush
  14. squash — the sport
  15. race — humankind
  16. lean — thin
  17. firm — a company
  18. race — the arms race
  19. court — of a king
  20. cap — of ice
  21. firm — decided
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. bore — to tire
  24. swing — in golf

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