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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. When was this ________________ built?
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. fall — to drop
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. cap — of ice
  7. fall — the season
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. spring — of water
  10. net — after costs
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. net — in sport
  14. cap — a lid
  15. squash — the sport
  16. tube — the underground
  17. spring — the season
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. fall — to drop
  20. net — for catching
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. spring — a coil
  23. squash — to crush
  24. tube — a container

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