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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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. cap — a hat
  3. cap — of ice
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. kid — to tease
  6. last — finally
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. file — a line of people
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. foot — a measure
  12. drill — the tool
  13. toast — bread
  14. drill — army training
  15. craft — boats
  16. last — to go on
  17. file — a tool
  18. drill — a practice
  19. file — a document
  20. craft — a skill
  21. kid — child
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. last — final

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