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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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. cold — not warm
  3. cap — of ice
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. march — the month
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. sharp — clever
  13. march — music
  14. cold — an illness
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. cap — a lid
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. cap — a hat
  20. march — the month
  21. pitch — completely
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. mark — a trace

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