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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 ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. fall — to drop
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. cap — a lid
  5. fall — to drop
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. rush — hurry
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. cap — a hat
  11. can — a tin
  12. cap — of ice
  13. fall — the season
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. march — the month
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. ground — a position
  18. can — to be able to
  19. ground — crushed
  20. march — music
  21. march — the month
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. can — a tin

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