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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. cap — of ice
  3. land — a country
  4. cap — a hat
  5. date — the fruit
  6. branch — a division
  7. fine — all right
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. mug — a cup
  10. fine — high quality
  11. mark — a trace
  12. cap — a lid
  13. land — ground
  14. mark — a grade
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. mug — to rob
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. chest — of your body
  19. chest — of your body
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. chest — a box
  23. mug — a face
  24. branch — of a tree

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