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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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. rock — a stone
  3. track — a song
  4. spell — magic
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. hand — help
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. spell — a short time
  9. track — to keep track
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. rock — music
  12. track — a path
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. cap — of ice
  15. hand — in cards
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. row — a line
  21. cap — a lid
  22. spell — letters
  23. foot — a measure
  24. row — to paddle

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