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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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. cap — of ice
  3. dip — to sink
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. prune — to trim
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. cap — a lid
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. lean — to bend
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. pitch — completely
  15. lean — thin
  16. board — to get on
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. prune — to trim
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. scale — size or range
  22. board — a committee
  23. scale — in music
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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