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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 120 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. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. clip — for paper
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. bass — the fish
  7. clip — a video
  8. bass — low music
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. hand — in cards
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. clip — to cut
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. deal — to handle
  16. hand — help
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. stem — to come from
  22. cap — a lid
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. cap — of ice

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