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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. pitch — completely
  5. hand — help
  6. rash — a series
  7. land — to come down
  8. hand — in cards
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. rash — hasty
  12. cap — of ice
  13. mark — a trace
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. cap — a lid
  16. land — a country
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. wax — to grow
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. mark — a grade
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. land — ground
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. mark — to pay attention

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