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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. bound — obliged
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. march — the month
  7. march — music
  8. bound — certain
  9. bound — tied together
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. rule — a law
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. spring — of water
  14. saw — the tool
  15. ball — a great time
  16. spring — a coil
  17. march — the month
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. spring — the season
  20. saw — the tool
  21. ball — a dance
  22. cap — of ice
  23. rule — government
  24. cap — a lid

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