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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. land — a country
  3. cap — a hat
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. cap — a lid
  6. cap — of ice
  7. craft — a skill
  8. rock — a stone
  9. track — a song
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. craft — boats
  12. scale — in music
  13. track — to keep track
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. land — ground
  16. scale — size or range
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. land — to come down
  19. pit — in a race
  20. track — a path
  21. pit — a hole
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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