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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. drill — a practice
  3. key — the most important part
  4. key — in music
  5. key — for a lock
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. drill — army training
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. net — in sport
  11. drill — the tool
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. snap — to click
  15. net — for catching
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. wound — an injury
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. pitch — completely
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. cap — of ice
  22. cap — a lid
  23. wound — an injury
  24. net — after costs

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