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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. saw — the tool
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. tear — from crying
  5. tear — from crying
  6. saw — the tool
  7. game — a match
  8. kick — in football
  9. cap — of ice
  10. tear — to rip
  11. rush — hurry
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. board — to get on
  14. chip — for betting
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. game — wild animals
  18. cap — a lid
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. board — a committee
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. chip — to eat
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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