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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 pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. game — wild animals
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. root — the cause
  5. face — part of the head
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. chip — for betting
  8. face — to confront
  9. root — of a word
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. game — a match
  12. cap — of ice
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. face — to point toward
  16. key — in music
  17. chip — to eat
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. root — of a plant
  20. cap — a lid
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. key — for a lock
  24. key — the most important part

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