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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. cap — a hat
  5. drill — a practice
  6. mate — a partner
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. wound — an injury
  9. tube — the underground
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. drill — the tool
  12. foot — a measure
  13. mate — to breed
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. cap — of ice
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. mate — a friend
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. hand — help
  20. tube — a container
  21. hand — in cards
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. drill — army training
  24. wound — an injury

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