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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. cap — a lid
  3. last — final
  4. cap — a hat
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. fall — to drop
  8. bass — low music
  9. mark — a trace
  10. toast — bread
  11. bass — the fish
  12. fall — the season
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. mark — a grade
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. cap — of ice
  20. fall — to drop
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. last — finally
  24. temple — side of the head

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