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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. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. dip — to sink
  3. spell — magic
  4. saw — the tool
  5. mark — a grade
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. saw — the tool
  8. court — for sport
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. band — a ring
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. spell — letters
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. lie — to recline
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. court — of law
  18. spell — a short time
  19. cap — a lid
  20. court — of a king
  21. cap — a hat
  22. band — a music group
  23. mark — a trace
  24. band — a rubber band

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