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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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. key — in music
  3. cap — a hat
  4. mark — a grade
  5. cap — a lid
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. key — for a lock
  8. cold — not warm
  9. ground — the earth
  10. mark — a trace
  11. ground — a position
  12. key — the most important part
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. cold — an illness
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. sharp — clever
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. ground — crushed
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. mark — to pay attention

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