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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 120 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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. kid — child
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. kid — to tease
  9. cue — a signal
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. cap — a lid
  12. cue — for pool
  13. bark — to shout
  14. cap — of ice
  15. stand — to bear
  16. band — a ring
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. cue — a hint
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. band — a music group
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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