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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 120 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. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. rash — hasty
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. mine — for digging
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. kick — in football
  9. wake — a trail
  10. key — the most important part
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. perch — the fish
  16. key — in music
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. key — for a lock
  20. snap — to click
  21. rash — a series
  22. cap — a lid
  23. cap — of ice
  24. wake — before a funeral

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