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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. file — a tool
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. scale — in music
  5. season — in sport
  6. cap — a lid
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. court — for sport
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. wake — a trail
  11. file — a line of people
  12. lie — to recline
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. court — of law
  15. file — a document
  16. cap — a hat
  17. scale — size or range
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. season — of the year
  24. court — of a king

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