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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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. cap — of ice
  5. prune — to trim
  6. dip — to sink
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. cap — a hat
  12. march — the month
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. march — music
  16. field — a subject
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. march — the month
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. field — farmland
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. prune — to trim
  24. field — for sport

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