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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 polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. cap — of ice
  3. stock — goods
  4. prune — to trim
  5. club — for dancing
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. mug — a cup
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. rash — hasty
  10. prune — to trim
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. mug — a face
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. club — for golf
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. club — a group
  17. cap — a lid
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. stock — shares
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. rash — a series
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. wake — a trail
  24. mug — to rob

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