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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. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. chest — of your body
  3. chest — a box
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. chest — of your body
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. stock — goods
  9. cap — of ice
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. pop — to visit
  12. pop — music
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. tube — a container
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. tube — the underground
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. snap — to click
  20. pop — soda
  21. cap — a lid
  22. stock — shares
  23. rock — music
  24. rock — a stone

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