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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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. mark — a grade
  4. game — a match
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. fork — in a road
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. rush — hurry
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. mark — a trace
  16. mine — for digging
  17. game — wild animals
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. cap — a lid
  24. cap — a hat

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