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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. root — the cause
  3. wind — moving air
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. cap — a hat
  7. spring — a coil
  8. pop — music
  9. pit — a hole
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. pop — soda
  12. snap — to click
  13. pit — in a race
  14. pop — to visit
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. spring — the season
  17. bass — low music
  18. cap — of ice
  19. spring — of water
  20. wind — moving air
  21. bass — the fish
  22. root — of a word
  23. root — of a plant
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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