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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 120 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 ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. wound — an injury
  4. pop — music
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. charge — a price
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. season — of the year
  10. season — in sport
  11. pop — to visit
  12. court — of law
  13. pop — soda
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. dip — to sink
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. court — for sport
  18. cap — of ice
  19. charge — in control
  20. cap — a lid
  21. wound — an injury
  22. court — of a king
  23. charge — electricity
  24. dip — a sauce

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