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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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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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. cap — a lid
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. march — music
  7. cap — of ice
  8. last — final
  9. march — the month
  10. rush — hurry
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. mark — a grade
  15. last — to go on
  16. march — the month
  17. mark — a trace
  18. last — finally

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