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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. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. cap — a hat
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. scale — in music
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. saw — the tool
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. pop — to visit
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. cap — of ice
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. saw — the tool
  17. rash — a series
  18. date — the fruit
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. deal — to handle
  21. pop — music
  22. scale — size or range
  23. pop — soda
  24. rash — hasty

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