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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. cap — a lid
  4. mine — for digging
  5. rest — what's left
  6. cap — of ice
  7. root — the cause
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. root — of a plant
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. last — final
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. fall — to drop
  14. fall — to drop
  15. rest — a break
  16. fall — the season
  17. rest — what's left
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. root — of a word
  21. last — to go on
  22. pitch — completely
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. cap — a hat

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