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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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. bank — for money
  3. root — of a word
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. root — the cause
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. chest — of your body
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. chest — of your body
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. cap — a lid
  12. content — the amount
  13. net — in sport
  14. cap — of ice
  15. bank — for money
  16. chest — a box
  17. bank — of a river
  18. root — of a plant
  19. content — happy
  20. season — in sport
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. net — for catching
  23. net — after costs
  24. season — of the year

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