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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. last — finally
  3. cell — in biology
  4. march — the month
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. firm — steady
  7. march — the month
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. bulb — for light
  10. lean — to bend
  11. last — final
  12. lean — thin
  13. cap — of ice
  14. cell — a phone
  15. firm — decided
  16. last — to go on
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. firm — a company
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. bulb — for light
  22. march — music
  23. cap — a hat
  24. bulb — of a plant

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