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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. cap — a lid
  3. row — to paddle
  4. chest — a box
  5. row — a line
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. season — in sport
  8. board — a committee
  9. chest — of your body
  10. season — of the year
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. pitch — completely
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. drill — army training
  15. drill — the tool
  16. board — to get on
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. cap — of ice
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. chest — of your body
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. drill — a practice

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