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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. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. bass — the fish
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. wound — an injury
  10. bass — low music
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. race — the arms race
  13. cap — of ice
  14. pitch — completely
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. cap — a lid
  17. race — a contest
  18. deal — to handle
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. wound — an injury
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. race — humankind
  24. sharp — clever

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