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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. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. date — the fruit
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. club — a group
  5. cap — of ice
  6. cap — a hat
  7. capital — a city
  8. foot — a measure
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. snap — to click
  15. club — for dancing
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. capital — money
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. dip — to sink
  23. bat — the animal
  24. club — for golf

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