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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 116 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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. cap — a hat
  3. bulb — for light
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. squash — to crush
  6. root — the cause
  7. can — to be able to
  8. cap — a lid
  9. hand — in cards
  10. court — for sport
  11. bulb — for light
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. hand — help
  15. can — a tin
  16. root — of a plant
  17. root — of a word
  18. court — of a king
  19. squash — the sport
  20. court — of law
  21. can — a tin
  22. cap — of ice
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. hand — part of the body

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