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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  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 — of ice
  2. cap — a lid
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. track — a path
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. cap — a hat
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. hand — help
  10. track — a song
  11. sharp — clever
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. pass — a permit
  15. hand — in cards
  16. bass — low music
  17. track — to keep track
  18. bass — the fish
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. mine — for digging
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. mine — an explosive
  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