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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. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. ball — a dance
  3. chip — for betting
  4. chip — to eat
  5. cap — a lid
  6. row — a line
  7. cold — an illness
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. last — to go on
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. last — final
  14. cold — not warm
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. row — to paddle
  17. lean — thin
  18. ball — a great time
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. last — finally
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. cap — of ice
  24. lean — to bend

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