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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 120 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. That was a fun ________________.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. game — a match
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. last — final
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. mark — a grade
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. mark — a trace
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. last — finally
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. last — to go on
  20. game — wild animals
  21. cap — a hat
  22. cap — a lid
  23. bass — low music
  24. bass — the fish

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