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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. court — of a king
  3. last — to go on
  4. swing — to play on
  5. row — a line
  6. saw — the tool
  7. saw — the tool
  8. cap — a lid
  9. staff — employees
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. row — to paddle
  12. swing — in golf
  13. bank — for money
  14. staff — a stick
  15. last — final
  16. bank — of a river
  17. swing — music
  18. bank — for money
  19. court — of law
  20. staff — employees
  21. last — finally
  22. cap — a hat
  23. court — for sport
  24. row — a quarrel

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