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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. spring — a coil
  3. cap — of ice
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. cap — a lid
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. club — for golf
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. club — for dancing
  13. club — a group
  14. prune — to trim
  15. prune — to trim
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. spring — the season
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. kid — child
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. kid — to tease
  24. spring — of water

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