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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. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. cap — of ice
  4. bound — certain
  5. ground — crushed
  6. game — a match
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. suit — to fit
  10. ball — a great time
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. ball — a dance
  13. suit — in cards
  14. swing — to play on
  15. ground — a position
  16. cap — a lid
  17. swing — music
  18. suit — clothes
  19. bound — obliged
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. swing — in golf
  22. game — wild animals
  23. ground — the earth
  24. bound — tied together

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