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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. sharp — clever
  3. key — in music
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. key — for a lock
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. drill — the tool
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. cap — a lid
  12. drill — a practice
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. bear — the animal
  15. game — a match
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. game — wild animals
  18. cap — a hat
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. drill — army training
  21. key — the most important part
  22. bear — the animal
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. bowl — a football final

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