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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 120 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 seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. bass — the fish
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. cap — a lid
  10. spring — a coil
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. band — a music group
  13. band — a ring
  14. spring — of water
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. spring — the season
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. bass — low music
  22. cap — of ice
  23. rash — hasty
  24. rash — a series

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