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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 reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  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. bound — tied together
  3. root — of a word
  4. root — of a plant
  5. bound — certain
  6. last — final
  7. bound — obliged
  8. spell — letters
  9. court — of law
  10. spell — a short time
  11. root — the cause
  12. court — for sport
  13. mate — a partner
  14. mate — to breed
  15. court — of a king
  16. current — electric
  17. spell — magic
  18. last — finally
  19. last — to go on
  20. current — of water
  21. current — happening now
  22. cap — of ice
  23. mate — a friend
  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