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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. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. rest — what's left
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. cold — an illness
  5. rest — what's left
  6. saw — the tool
  7. cold — not warm
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. rush — hurry
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. cap — a lid
  12. cap — of ice
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. rest — a break
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. saw — the tool
  21. mine — for digging
  22. track — a song
  23. track — to keep track
  24. track — a path

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