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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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. suit — in cards
  3. deal — to handle
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. swing — in golf
  6. cap — of ice
  7. clip — for paper
  8. clip — a video
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. suit — to fit
  11. row — to paddle
  12. swing — to play on
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. row — a line
  15. suit — clothes
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. swing — music
  18. dip — to sink
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. stand — to bear
  21. cap — a lid
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. clip — to cut

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