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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. mug — a face
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. cap — a hat
  5. last — final
  6. content — the amount
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. mug — to rob
  9. cap — a lid
  10. object — a thing
  11. clip — for paper
  12. clip — to cut
  13. clip — a video
  14. object — to protest
  15. last — to go on
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. mug — a cup
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. scale — in music
  20. cap — of ice
  21. object — an aim
  22. pass — a permit
  23. content — happy
  24. scale — size or range

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