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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. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. fork — in a road
  3. hand — in cards
  4. cap — of ice
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. band — a ring
  9. last — finally
  10. ball — a great time
  11. last — to go on
  12. last — final
  13. band — a music group
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. ball — a dance
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. hand — help
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. cap — a lid
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. fork — to eat with

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