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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. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. ball — a dance
  3. wound — an injury
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. pit — a hole
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. game — wild animals
  9. land — ground
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. land — to come down
  14. land — a country
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. cap — a lid
  17. cap — of ice
  18. pit — in a race
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. wound — an injury
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. game — a match
  23. stem — to come from
  24. ball — a great time

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