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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. march — music
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. pass — a permit
  5. last — to go on
  6. last — final
  7. degree — temperature
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. cap — of ice
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. degree — an amount
  17. degree — from a university
  18. last — finally
  19. cap — a hat
  20. face — part of the head
  21. face — to point toward
  22. march — the month
  23. march — the month
  24. face — to confront

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