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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 ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. cap — a lid
  3. last — to go on
  4. net — after costs
  5. net — for catching
  6. cue — a hint
  7. fine — high quality
  8. last — final
  9. spring — of water
  10. cue — a signal
  11. cap — a hat
  12. mark — a grade
  13. spring — a coil
  14. spring — the season
  15. bulb — for light
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. mark — a trace
  18. cue — for pool
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. cap — of ice
  21. fine — all right
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. last — finally
  24. bulb — for light

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