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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 is an ace ________________.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. cap — a hat
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. drill — army training
  8. stem — to come from
  9. drill — a practice
  10. rock — music
  11. scale — in music
  12. land — ground
  13. scale — size or range
  14. rock — a stone
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. mug — to rob
  18. mug — a face
  19. land — to come down
  20. cap — a lid
  21. land — a country
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. mug — a cup
  24. drill — the tool

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