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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 116 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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. kid — to tease
  4. fine — all right
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. fine — high quality
  9. bore — to tire
  10. kid — child
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. cap — a hat
  14. last — finally
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. scale — size or range
  17. last — to go on
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. scale — in music
  22. bore — to drill
  23. cap — a lid
  24. last — final

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