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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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. can — to be able to
  5. pitch — completely
  6. cap — a lid
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. race — a contest
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. race — the arms race
  11. cap — of ice
  12. can — a tin
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. tube — the underground
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. can — a tin
  17. rash — hasty
  18. shower — rain
  19. race — humankind
  20. rash — a series
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. shower — to wash
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. tube — a container

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