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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. hand — in cards
  3. march — the month
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. race — the arms race
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. hand — help
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. march — music
  12. race — a contest
  13. march — the month
  14. race — humankind
  15. cap — a lid
  16. cap — of ice
  17. wake — a trail
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. foot — a measure
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. foot — part of the body

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