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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 124 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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. pit — in a race
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. current — happening now
  8. wound — an injury
  9. pit — a hole
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. toast — bread
  12. wound — an injury
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. lie — to recline
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. cap — a lid
  18. chip — for betting
  19. current — electric
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. cap — of ice
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. current — of water
  24. chip — to eat

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