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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 116 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 am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. key — for a lock
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. plane — a tool
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. key — the most important part
  10. lean — to bend
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. lean — thin
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. perch — the fish
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. cap — of ice
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. cap — a lid
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. bat — the animal
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. key — in music

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