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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 120 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 King held a masked ________________.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. ball — a dance
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. degree — from a university
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. wind — moving air
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. ground — the earth
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. cap — a lid
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. degree — an amount
  14. club — a group
  15. ground — a position
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. ground — crushed
  18. ball — a great time
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. degree — temperature
  21. cap — of ice
  22. club — for golf
  23. wind — moving air
  24. club — for dancing

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