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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. game — wild animals
  4. swing — to play on
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. swing — in golf
  7. wind — moving air
  8. chip — for betting
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. saw — the tool
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. swing — music
  14. wind — moving air
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. cap — of ice
  18. saw — the tool
  19. cap — a lid
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. chip — to eat
  22. game — a match
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. calf — a young animal

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