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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. hand — help
  3. ground — a position
  4. cue — a hint
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. season — in sport
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. ground — crushed
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. cap — a lid
  13. ground — the earth
  14. roll — a cake
  15. cue — for pool
  16. cap — of ice
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. season — of the year
  19. roll — a list
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. saw — the tool
  22. saw — the tool
  23. cue — a signal
  24. hand — in cards

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