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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. cap — of ice
  3. march — the month
  4. plane — a tool
  5. scale — size or range
  6. bank — for money
  7. bank — for money
  8. cap — a lid
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. bank — of a river
  11. mine — for digging
  12. date — the fruit
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. march — the month
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. cap — a hat
  18. march — music
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. scale — in music
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. bat — the animal

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