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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 120 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. That must've been a ________________.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. wound — an injury
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. drill — a practice
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. rush — hurry
  8. bulb — for light
  9. wound — an injury
  10. cap — of ice
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. bulb — for light
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. cap — a lid
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. rule — a law
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. rule — government
  22. drill — army training
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. drill — the tool

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