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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. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. bore — to drill
  3. spring — a coil
  4. spring — of water
  5. spring — the season
  6. ball — a great time
  7. ground — crushed
  8. bore — to tire
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. cap — of ice
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. deal — to handle
  14. swing — to play on
  15. swing — in golf
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. cap — a lid
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. ball — a dance
  20. ground — the earth
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. swing — music
  24. ground — a position

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