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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 ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. cap — a lid
  3. mark — a trace
  4. bass — the fish
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. roll — a cake
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. bass — low music
  9. bat — the animal
  10. ground — a position
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. season — of the year
  13. roll — a list
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. season — in sport
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. cap — a hat
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. cap — of ice
  22. mark — a grade
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. ground — crushed

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