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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. court — of a king
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. march — music
  7. cap — of ice
  8. march — the month
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. tube — the underground
  13. court — of law
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. march — the month
  16. tube — a container
  17. mine — for digging
  18. court — for sport
  19. rush — hurry
  20. wake — a trail
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. cap — a hat
  24. wake — before a funeral

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