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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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. bat — the animal
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. cap — a hat
  5. content — happy
  6. drill — the tool
  7. drill — army training
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. cue — for pool
  11. bulb — for light
  12. drill — a practice
  13. ground — crushed
  14. cue — a signal
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. ground — the earth
  17. bulb — for light
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. cap — a lid
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. cue — a hint
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. content — the amount
  24. ground — a position

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