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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 still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. band — a ring
  3. mug — to rob
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. scale — size or range
  7. sharp — clever
  8. mug — a cup
  9. bear — the animal
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. mug — a face
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. scale — in music
  14. bear — the animal
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. cap — a hat
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. cap — a lid
  21. ball — a great time
  22. ball — a dance
  23. band — a music group
  24. trunk — of a tree

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