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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 120 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. That was a fun ________________.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. game — a match
  3. mark — a trace
  4. tear — to rip
  5. tube — the underground
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. ground — the earth
  8. tube — a container
  9. ground — a position
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. cap — a hat
  15. tear — from crying
  16. game — wild animals
  17. cap — of ice
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. tear — from crying
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. pitch — completely
  23. mark — a grade
  24. ground — crushed

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