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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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. chest — of your body
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. wake — a trail
  7. chest — a box
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. chest — of your body
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. cap — a lid
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. date — the fruit
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. cap — of ice
  24. wave — of the sea

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