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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. suit — clothes
  5. dip — to sink
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. cap — a lid
  12. suit — in cards
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. branch — a division
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. board — to get on
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. suit — to fit
  22. cap — of ice
  23. board — a committee
  24. board — a flat piece

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