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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. cap — a hat
  3. cap — of ice
  4. board — to get on
  5. tear — from crying
  6. tear — to rip
  7. net — in sport
  8. tear — from crying
  9. board — a committee
  10. track — to keep track
  11. cap — a lid
  12. net — for catching
  13. can — a tin
  14. can — to be able to
  15. track — a path
  16. ball — a great time
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. track — a song
  19. ball — a dance
  20. net — after costs
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. can — a tin
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. hand — in cards

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