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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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. cap — a lid
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. track — a path
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. key — the most important part
  7. key — for a lock
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. net — for catching
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. key — in music
  13. foot — a measure
  14. cap — of ice
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. dip — to sink
  17. net — after costs
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. track — a song
  20. track — to keep track
  21. net — in sport
  22. pitch — completely
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. foot — part of the body

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