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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. firm — a company
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. game — a match
  7. cap — of ice
  8. game — wild animals
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. spell — a short time
  11. ball — a dance
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. ball — a great time
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. spell — magic
  17. cap — a lid
  18. firm — decided
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. bark — to shout
  21. firm — steady
  22. sharp — clever
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. spell — letters

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