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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.

Make a worksheet

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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. cap — of ice
  3. saw — the tool
  4. drill — army training
  5. cap — a lid
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. saw — the tool
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. bass — the fish
  11. scale — in music
  12. season — of the year
  13. bass — low music
  14. drill — a practice
  15. drill — the tool
  16. cap — a hat
  17. scale — size or range
  18. season — in sport

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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