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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. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  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. pit — in a race
  4. court — of a king
  5. pit — a hole
  6. scale — in music
  7. scale — size or range
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. court — for sport
  11. sharp — clever
  12. branch — a division
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. cap — a hat
  16. bat — the animal
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. court — of law
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. branch — of a tree
  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