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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 ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. rest — what's left
  3. cap — a lid
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. cue — a signal
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. band — a ring
  8. cap — of ice
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. cue — a hint
  15. cue — for pool
  16. key — the most important part
  17. rest — what's left
  18. key — for a lock
  19. key — in music
  20. band — a music group
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. rest — a break
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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