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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: wound · fan · kid · deal · ground · cap · suit · mark

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. mark — a grade
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. ground — the earth
  5. suit — to fit
  6. kid — child
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. wound — an injury
  9. cap — of ice
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. deal — to handle
  13. wound — an injury
  14. suit — clothes
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. ground — a position
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. ground — crushed
  21. suit — in cards
  22. kid — to tease
  23. cap — a lid
  24. mark — a trace

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