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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. last — final
  4. chest — of your body
  5. last — finally
  6. prune — to trim
  7. mug — a cup
  8. chest — a box
  9. bound — obliged
  10. court — for sport
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. cap — of ice
  13. bound — tied together
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. court — of a king
  17. mug — a face
  18. court — of law
  19. bound — certain
  20. last — to go on
  21. cap — a lid
  22. chest — of your body
  23. prune — to trim
  24. mug — to rob

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