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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. cap — a hat
  3. cap — of ice
  4. scale — size or range
  5. scale — in music
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. present — the time now
  12. row — to paddle
  13. wound — an injury
  14. row — a line
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. season — in sport
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. present — a gift
  20. season — of the year
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. cap — a lid
  24. wound — an injury

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