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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. wind — moving air
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. cap — a hat
  5. pitch — completely
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. fall — the season
  11. bore — to tire
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. fall — to drop
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. fall — to drop
  17. squash — to crush
  18. mine — for digging
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. bore — to drill
  21. cap — of ice
  22. wind — moving air
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. squash — the sport

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