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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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. mark — a trace
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. stem — to come from
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. bass — low music
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. cap — a hat
  11. cap — a lid
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. mark — a grade
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. bass — the fish
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. roll — a list
  20. roll — a cake
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. fork — in a road
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. sharp — clever

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