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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 116 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 polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. cap — of ice
  3. track — a song
  4. lie — to recline
  5. game — wild animals
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. game — a match
  8. cap — a lid
  9. craft — a skill
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. track — to keep track
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. craft — boats
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. chip — to eat
  18. row — a line
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. row — to paddle
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. chip — for betting
  24. track — a path

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