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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. cell — in biology
  3. present — the time now
  4. march — the month
  5. present — there
  6. cap — of ice
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. bulb — for light
  9. march — the month
  10. march — music
  11. last — final
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. cap — a hat
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. last — to go on
  18. cell — a phone
  19. present — a gift
  20. bulb — for light
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. last — finally
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. kick — in football

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