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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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. spell — magic
  3. cap — a lid
  4. pop — to visit
  5. tube — the underground
  6. roll — a cake
  7. spell — a short time
  8. lean — to bend
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. lean — thin
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. cell — in biology
  13. pop — music
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. spell — letters
  17. pop — soda
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. cell — a phone
  20. tube — a container
  21. roll — a list
  22. cap — of ice
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. foot — a measure

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