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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. season — of the year
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. cap — a hat
  6. scale — in music
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. cold — an illness
  9. content — the amount
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. season — in sport
  13. cold — not warm
  14. pass — a permit
  15. track — to keep track
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. track — a path
  19. content — happy
  20. cap — of ice
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. track — a song
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. cap — a lid

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