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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. march — the month
  5. cap — of ice
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. march — music
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. rash — hasty
  14. march — the month
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. deal — to handle
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. rash — a series
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. toast — bread
  24. cap — a hat

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