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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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. object — an aim
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. squash — to crush
  6. cap — a lid
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. cap — of ice
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. court — of law
  12. object — to protest
  13. hand — in cards
  14. squash — the sport
  15. content — the amount
  16. dip — to sink
  17. court — of a king
  18. court — for sport
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. content — happy
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. object — a thing
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. hand — help

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