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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. rash — hasty
  3. cap — a lid
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. tube — the underground
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. tube — a container
  9. wind — moving air
  10. pitch — completely
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. rash — a series
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. cap — of ice
  17. root — of a word
  18. root — the cause
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. root — of a plant
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. wind — moving air
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. lash — an eyelash

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