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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 ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. cap — of ice
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. pit — a hole
  6. perch — the fish
  7. cap — a hat
  8. net — for catching
  9. net — after costs
  10. cap — a lid
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. march — music
  14. net — in sport
  15. pit — in a race
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. mark — a grade
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. march — the month
  20. bass — the fish
  21. mark — a trace
  22. bass — low music
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. march — the month

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