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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 little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. bear — the animal
  3. can — to be able to
  4. can — a tin
  5. shower — rain
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. hand — in cards
  12. can — a tin
  13. perch — the fish
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. cap — of ice
  17. hand — help
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. wind — moving air
  20. kick — in football
  21. cap — a lid
  22. shower — to wash
  23. wind — moving air
  24. bear — the 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