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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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. bass — the fish
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. cold — an illness
  6. cap — of ice
  7. stem — to come from
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. kid — to tease
  11. toast — bread
  12. chip — for betting
  13. chip — to eat
  14. cap — a lid
  15. bass — low music
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. cold — not warm
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. kid — child
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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