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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. rock — a stone
  4. rest — a break
  5. cold — an illness
  6. cap — of ice
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. cap — a lid
  9. rock — music
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. lean — thin
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. rest — what's left
  15. rest — what's left
  16. cold — not warm
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. lean — to bend
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. chip — for betting
  23. chip — to eat
  24. bowl — a football final

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