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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 116 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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. last — finally
  5. cap — a lid
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. bear — the animal
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. wound — an injury
  10. last — final
  11. season — in sport
  12. mark — a grade
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. bear — the animal
  15. mark — a trace
  16. mine — for digging
  17. last — to go on
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. ball — a great time
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. wound — an injury
  22. cap — a hat
  23. season — of the year
  24. ball — a dance

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