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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 120 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 president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. squash — to crush
  3. file — a line of people
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. file — a document
  6. file — a tool
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. mark — a grade
  9. content — happy
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. pit — a hole
  12. content — the amount
  13. scale — size or range
  14. cap — a hat
  15. cap — a lid
  16. mark — a trace
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. squash — the sport
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. pit — in a race
  24. scale — in music

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