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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 took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. shower — rain
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. chip — for betting
  5. key — the most important part
  6. bank — of a river
  7. bank — for money
  8. bank — for money
  9. key — for a lock
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. cap — of ice
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. plane — a tool
  19. chip — to eat
  20. shower — to wash
  21. key — in music
  22. chair — a leader
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. cap — a lid

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