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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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. squash — to crush
  4. net — for catching
  5. cap — a lid
  6. net — in sport
  7. stock — goods
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. cap — of ice
  10. scale — in music
  11. band — a music group
  12. band — a ring
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. mark — a trace
  16. stock — shares
  17. scale — size or range
  18. net — after costs
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. mark — a grade
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. squash — the sport
  24. mark — to pay attention

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