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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 polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. cap — of ice
  3. staff — a stick
  4. bank — for money
  5. club — a group
  6. staff — employees
  7. cue — for pool
  8. bank — of a river
  9. staff — employees
  10. key — in music
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. cue — a hint
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. cue — a signal
  15. kick — in football
  16. bank — for money
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. key — the most important part
  19. key — for a lock
  20. bat — the animal
  21. club — for golf
  22. cap — a lid
  23. club — for dancing
  24. bat — in an idiom

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