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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.

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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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. mark — a grade
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. scale — in music
  5. mine — for digging
  6. mark — a trace
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. cap — a hat
  9. cap — of ice
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. cell — a phone
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. scale — size or range
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. cell — in biology

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