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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. wound — an injury
  3. cap — of ice
  4. chip — for betting
  5. wound — an injury
  6. net — after costs
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. bulb — for light
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. bulb — for light
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. net — for catching
  15. chip — to eat
  16. bank — of a river
  17. perch — the fish
  18. cap — a lid
  19. march — the month
  20. march — music
  21. march — the month
  22. net — in sport
  23. bank — for money
  24. bank — for money

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