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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. last — final
  3. mark — a trace
  4. kick — in football
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. last — to go on
  7. current — of water
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. cap — of ice
  10. key — the most important part
  11. last — finally
  12. current — electric
  13. bark — to shout
  14. current — happening now
  15. mark — a grade
  16. key — in music
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. cap — a hat
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. scale — in music
  22. key — for a lock
  23. scale — size or range
  24. kick — with a leg

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