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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. bound — tied together
  3. pop — to visit
  4. shower — to wash
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. pop — soda
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. game — wild animals
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. game — a match
  11. snap — to click
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. cap — of ice
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. rule — government
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. bound — certain
  19. shower — rain
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. bound — obliged
  22. pop — music
  23. rule — a law
  24. cap — a hat

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