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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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. scale — in music
  3. last — finally
  4. cap — a hat
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. pass — a permit
  7. last — to go on
  8. pound — a weight
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. pop — to visit
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. scale — size or range
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. pop — music
  18. saw — the tool
  19. rush — hurry
  20. cap — of ice
  21. last — final
  22. saw — the tool
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. pop — soda

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