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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. present — there
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. present — a gift
  5. game — a match
  6. cap — a lid
  7. can — to be able to
  8. cap — a hat
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. sharp — clever
  11. fine — all right
  12. chest — a box
  13. season — in sport
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. season — of the year
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. can — a tin
  18. game — wild animals
  19. present — the time now
  20. chest — of your body
  21. fine — high quality
  22. chest — of your body
  23. can — a tin
  24. sharp — with an edge

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