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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. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. pit — in a race
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. pit — a hole
  5. board — to get on
  6. spell — a short time
  7. spell — letters
  8. track — a song
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. row — to paddle
  11. row — a line
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. spell — magic
  15. track — to keep track
  16. bass — low music
  17. stem — to come from
  18. cap — of ice
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. cap — a lid
  21. board — a committee
  22. bass — the fish
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. track — a path

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