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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 120 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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. mug — a cup
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. track — to keep track
  6. cell — in biology
  7. pit — in a race
  8. ground — crushed
  9. cell — a phone
  10. ground — the earth
  11. mug — to rob
  12. ball — a dance
  13. pit — a hole
  14. mug — a face
  15. ball — a great time
  16. track — a song
  17. cap — a lid
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. track — a path
  21. cap — of ice
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. ground — a position

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