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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. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. charge — a price
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. cap — of ice
  5. scale — in music
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. charge — in control
  8. scale — size or range
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. rash — hasty
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. bark — to shout
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. cap — a lid
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. rash — a series
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. sharp — clever
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. charge — electricity

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