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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. rash — hasty
  4. mark — a grade
  5. rash — a series
  6. spring — of water
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. mark — a trace
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. cap — a hat
  14. march — the month
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. foot — a measure
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. march — music
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. spring — the season
  22. cap — of ice
  23. spring — a coil
  24. march — the month

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