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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. rash — a series
  3. cap — a hat
  4. season — of the year
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. bark — to shout
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. track — a path
  9. mark — a trace
  10. mark — a grade
  11. cap — a lid
  12. cap — of ice
  13. season — in sport
  14. track — a song
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. fine — all right
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. track — to keep track
  20. rash — hasty
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. mark — to pay attention

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