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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. net — for catching
  3. mate — a partner
  4. chip — to eat
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. cap — a lid
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. row — to paddle
  10. net — in sport
  11. cap — of ice
  12. net — after costs
  13. chip — for betting
  14. lean — to bend
  15. mate — a friend
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. mate — to breed
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. lean — thin
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. row — a line
  24. temple — side of the head

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