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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. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. bear — the animal
  4. track — a song
  5. mug — to rob
  6. cap — a lid
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. track — to keep track
  9. mug — a cup
  10. band — a ring
  11. bear — the animal
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. drill — a practice
  14. scale — size or range
  15. mug — a face
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. drill — the tool
  18. drill — army training
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. track — a path
  22. cap — of ice
  23. scale — in music
  24. band — a music group

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