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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 polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. cap — of ice
  3. mate — to breed
  4. mate — a partner
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. game — wild animals
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. mate — a friend
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. bark — to shout
  12. court — for sport
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. court — of law
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. court — of a king
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. game — a match
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. wind — moving air
  23. wind — moving air
  24. cap — a lid

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