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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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. wound — an injury
  5. ball — a dance
  6. cap — a lid
  7. mate — a partner
  8. present — a gift
  9. wind — moving air
  10. wind — moving air
  11. wound — an injury
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. cap — of ice
  14. key — in music
  15. board — a committee
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. board — to get on
  18. mate — to breed
  19. key — for a lock
  20. mate — a friend
  21. present — the time now
  22. ball — a great time
  23. present — there
  24. key — the most important part

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