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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. hand — in cards
  3. bass — low music
  4. bound — certain
  5. present — the time now
  6. mine — for digging
  7. present — there
  8. cap — of ice
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. root — of a plant
  11. bound — obliged
  12. staff — employees
  13. staff — employees
  14. present — a gift
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. root — of a word
  17. root — the cause
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. cap — a lid
  21. bound — tied together
  22. staff — a stick
  23. bass — the fish
  24. hand — help

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