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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. season — in sport
  4. mug — to rob
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. cap — of ice
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. pass — a permit
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. wake — a trail
  13. mug — a cup
  14. mug — a face
  15. snap — to click
  16. cap — a lid
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. season — of the year
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. plane — a tool
  24. plane — in geometry

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