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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. spell — a short time
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. march — music
  5. spell — letters
  6. march — the month
  7. track — a song
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. bound — tied together
  11. cap — of ice
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. march — the month
  16. bat — the animal
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. bound — obliged
  19. track — a path
  20. bound — certain
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. spell — magic
  23. track — to keep track
  24. cap — a lid

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