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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. cap — a lid
  4. club — for golf
  5. root — the cause
  6. content — the amount
  7. root — of a plant
  8. cap — of ice
  9. tear — to rip
  10. content — happy
  11. club — for dancing
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. saw — the tool
  14. swing — to play on
  15. swing — music
  16. club — a group
  17. swing — in golf
  18. tear — from crying
  19. perch — the fish
  20. tear — from crying
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. saw — the tool
  24. root — of a word

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