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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 120 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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. cap — of ice
  3. object — an aim
  4. chest — of your body
  5. chest — of your body
  6. deal — to handle
  7. swing — in golf
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. cap — a hat
  10. pop — to visit
  11. swing — music
  12. pop — music
  13. pop — soda
  14. object — a thing
  15. cap — a lid
  16. last — to go on
  17. object — to protest
  18. mark — a trace
  19. last — final
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. swing — to play on
  22. mark — a grade
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. chest — a box

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