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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. mug — a face
  3. fork — in a road
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. mug — to rob
  9. can — a tin
  10. can — to be able to
  11. can — a tin
  12. cap — a lid
  13. swing — music
  14. spring — a coil
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. hand — help
  17. cap — of ice
  18. hand — in cards
  19. spring — of water
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. swing — in golf
  22. swing — to play on
  23. spring — the season
  24. mug — a cup

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