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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. mate — a friend
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. key — in music
  9. mate — a partner
  10. perch — the fish
  11. key — for a lock
  12. mate — to breed
  13. dip — to sink
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. bat — the animal
  16. key — the most important part
  17. cap — of ice
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. cap — a hat
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. cap — a lid

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