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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. kid — to tease
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. net — for catching
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. cap — of ice
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. snap — to click
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. cap — a lid
  13. net — in sport
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. net — after costs
  17. bass — low music
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. bass — the fish
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. kid — child
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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