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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. present — a gift
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. game — a match
  5. cap — a lid
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. rule — government
  9. pop — to visit
  10. deal — to handle
  11. rule — a law
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. cap — of ice
  15. pop — music
  16. bat — the animal
  17. present — the time now
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. present — there
  21. game — wild animals
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. pop — soda
  24. bat — in an idiom

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