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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 116 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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. last — final
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. cap — a lid
  6. last — to go on
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. rule — government
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. band — a music group
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. last — finally
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. track — to keep track
  16. kid — child
  17. pass — a permit
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. rule — a law
  20. cap — a hat
  21. band — a ring
  22. kid — to tease
  23. track — a path
  24. track — a song

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