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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. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  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. squash — to crush
  3. pass — a permit
  4. cap — a lid
  5. fine — all right
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. squash — the sport
  8. shower — rain
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. perch — the fish
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. rash — hasty
  15. fine — high quality
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. rash — a series
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. shower — to wash
  22. cap — of ice
  23. fine — a penalty
  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