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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. mark — a grade
  3. capital — money
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. cap — of ice
  6. rush — hurry
  7. prune — to trim
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. lie — to recline
  11. cap — a lid
  12. cap — a hat
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. dip — to sink
  15. bass — the fish
  16. prune — to trim
  17. mark — a trace
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. bass — low music
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. capital — a city
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. rush — to hurry

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