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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. cap — a hat
  3. cap — a lid
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. cap — of ice
  6. dip — to sink
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. bound — obliged
  9. board — to get on
  10. march — the month
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. march — the month
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. shower — to wash
  17. bound — tied together
  18. march — music
  19. deal — to handle
  20. board — a committee
  21. bound — certain
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. shower — rain
  24. deal — a big deal

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