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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. season — in sport
  3. pop — to visit
  4. pop — music
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. file — a tool
  8. pop — soda
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. file — a document
  11. cap — of ice
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. season — of the year
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. mine — for digging
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. file — a line of people
  22. rash — hasty
  23. rash — a series
  24. cap — a lid

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