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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. lean — thin
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. court — of a king
  5. pass — a permit
  6. lean — to bend
  7. court — of law
  8. court — for sport
  9. drill — army training
  10. drill — a practice
  11. chip — to eat
  12. cap — a lid
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. chip — for betting
  15. staff — employees
  16. branch — a division
  17. drill — the tool
  18. staff — employees
  19. cap — of ice
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. staff — a stick
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. pass — to spend time

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