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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. scale — size or range
  3. last — final
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. can — to be able to
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. cap — a lid
  10. cap — of ice
  11. spell — a short time
  12. rush — hurry
  13. last — finally
  14. last — to go on
  15. spell — letters
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. can — a tin
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. scale — in music
  21. can — a tin
  22. spell — magic
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. rush — a thrill

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