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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. hand — help
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. bear — the animal
  10. cap — a lid
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. hand — in cards
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. stock — shares
  20. cap — of ice
  21. bass — the fish
  22. stock — goods
  23. bass — low music
  24. bear — the animal

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