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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 captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. board — to get on
  3. chest — a box
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. track — a song
  6. cap — of ice
  7. fork — in a road
  8. chest — of your body
  9. pit — in a race
  10. board — a committee
  11. cap — a lid
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. track — a path
  14. pit — a hole
  15. chest — of your body
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. track — to keep track
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. patient — a sick person

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