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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. cap — of ice
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. chip — to eat
  7. land — a country
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. chip — for betting
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. kick — in football
  13. cap — a lid
  14. plane — a tool
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. land — to come down
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. sharp — clever
  22. land — ground
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. pitcher — a jug

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