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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. last — finally
  3. last — to go on
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. club — for golf
  11. last — final
  12. pitch — completely
  13. season — in sport
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. season — of the year
  16. cap — a lid
  17. bear — the animal
  18. cap — of ice
  19. bear — the animal
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. club — a group
  22. squash — the sport
  23. squash — to crush
  24. club — for dancing

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