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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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. bore — to tire
  5. bear — the animal
  6. lean — thin
  7. lean — to bend
  8. cap — of ice
  9. fall — to drop
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. cap — a lid
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. bore — to drill
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. fall — the season
  18. bat — the animal
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. bass — low music
  21. fall — to drop
  22. bass — the fish
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. bear — the animal

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