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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  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. march — the month
  3. pass — a permit
  4. rule — government
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. ground — the earth
  7. cap — a lid
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. rule — a law
  10. last — final
  11. march — the month
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. ground — crushed
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. last — to go on
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. march — music
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. cap — a hat
  22. last — finally
  23. arm — part of the body
  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