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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. cap — a lid
  3. march — music
  4. march — the month
  5. key — for a lock
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. key — the most important part
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. swing — to play on
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. perch — the fish
  13. swing — music
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. swing — in golf
  16. key — in music
  17. toast — bread
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. stem — to come from
  20. cap — a hat
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. march — the month

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