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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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. cap — a hat
  3. swing — music
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. rash — a series
  6. pass — a permit
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. key — the most important part
  9. rash — hasty
  10. cap — of ice
  11. key — for a lock
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. swing — to play on
  16. toast — bread
  17. key — in music
  18. dip — to sink
  19. chest — a box
  20. chest — of your body
  21. chest — of your body
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. swing — in golf
  24. pass — to spend time

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