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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. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. last — final
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. stand — to bear
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. pound — a weight
  9. pop — music
  10. last — to go on
  11. cap — a lid
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. kick — in football
  14. tear — from crying
  15. pop — soda
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. last — finally
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. pop — to visit
  20. tear — from crying
  21. cap — of ice
  22. tear — to rip
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. mouse — for a computer

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