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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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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: hide · wave · bear · bat · cap · content · march · cue

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. bear — the animal
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. march — the month
  8. bat — the animal
  9. cue — for pool
  10. content — the amount
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. march — music
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. cap — of ice
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. cap — a lid
  19. content — happy
  20. cue — a signal
  21. march — the month
  22. cue — a hint
  23. bear — the animal
  24. hide — to keep secret

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