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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. spell — a short time
  4. row — to paddle
  5. drill — army training
  6. tear — from crying
  7. rest — what's left
  8. tear — to rip
  9. tear — from crying
  10. spell — letters
  11. mark — a trace
  12. cap — of ice
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. rest — what's left
  15. spell — magic
  16. cap — a lid
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. drill — the tool
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. row — a line
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. rest — a break
  23. mark — a grade
  24. drill — a practice

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