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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: mouse · rush · cap · ground · hand · spell · court · wake

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. ground — crushed
  4. hand — in cards
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. hand — help
  8. court — for sport
  9. spell — magic
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. court — of a king
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. rush — hurry
  16. spell — a short time
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. wake — a trail
  19. court — of law
  20. ground — a position
  21. spell — letters
  22. ground — the earth
  23. cap — of ice
  24. cap — a lid

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