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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. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. suit — to fit
  3. mine — for digging
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. rule — government
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. wind — moving air
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. cap — a lid
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. kid — child
  14. cap — of ice
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. suit — clothes
  17. wind — moving air
  18. pound — a weight
  19. rule — a law
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. suit — in cards
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. kid — to tease

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