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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 116 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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. rule — a law
  3. swing — music
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. march — music
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. pop — to visit
  8. cap — of ice
  9. swing — to play on
  10. cap — a lid
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. pop — music
  14. march — the month
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. mate — to breed
  17. pop — soda
  18. rule — government
  19. mate — a friend
  20. mate — a partner
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. branch — a division
  23. swing — in golf
  24. march — the month

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