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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 reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. bound — tied together
  3. wake — a trail
  4. cap — of ice
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. bound — certain
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. rush — hurry
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. bear — the animal
  12. scale — size or range
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. bear — the animal
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. chip — to eat
  19. scale — in music
  20. bound — obliged
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. chip — for betting
  23. cap — a lid
  24. rush — a thrill

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