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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 polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. cap — of ice
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. track — a song
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. track — a path
  7. board — to get on
  8. sharp — clever
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. toast — bread
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. ground — crushed
  13. net — for catching
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. net — in sport
  16. ground — the earth
  17. net — after costs
  18. track — to keep track
  19. board — a committee
  20. branch — a division
  21. ground — a position
  22. cap — a hat
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. sharp — exactly

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