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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. prune — to trim
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. cap — a hat
  6. ball — a great time
  7. cap — of ice
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. prune — to trim
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. cell — a phone
  12. march — the month
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. rock — a stone
  15. rock — music
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. ball — a dance
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. march — music
  21. cell — in biology
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. march — the month
  24. mouse — for a computer

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