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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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. cap — a hat
  3. track — to keep track
  4. cap — a lid
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. key — in music
  8. key — for a lock
  9. last — finally
  10. mine — for digging
  11. wound — an injury
  12. last — final
  13. last — to go on
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. wound — an injury
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. key — the most important part
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. track — a path
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. track — a song
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. chair — a leader

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