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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. net — in sport
  3. present — the time now
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. capital — money
  6. hand — help
  7. present — there
  8. net — for catching
  9. cap — a lid
  10. season — of the year
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. net — after costs
  14. cap — of ice
  15. bat — the animal
  16. hand — in cards
  17. capital — a city
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. season — in sport
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. present — a gift

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