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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 124 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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. track — a path
  4. cap — a hat
  5. cap — of ice
  6. mate — a friend
  7. bass — low music
  8. track — a song
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. mate — a partner
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. game — a match
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. sharp — clever
  16. track — to keep track
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. deal — to handle
  21. game — wild animals
  22. bass — the fish
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. mate — to breed

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