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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. march — the month
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. can — to be able to
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. present — a gift
  10. can — a tin
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. bat — the animal
  13. cap — a hat
  14. bark — to shout
  15. march — the month
  16. can — a tin
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. march — music
  19. cap — a lid
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. present — there
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. present — the time now

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