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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
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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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. cap — a hat
  3. scale — size or range
  4. cap — of ice
  5. hand — in cards
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. last — finally
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. drill — a practice
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. last — to go on
  14. scale — in music
  15. drill — army training
  16. last — final
  17. hand — help
  18. drill — the tool

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