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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. cap — a hat
  4. cap — of ice
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. land — ground
  8. bass — the fish
  9. march — the month
  10. deal — to handle
  11. court — for sport
  12. bass — low music
  13. land — a country
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. march — the month
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. land — to come down
  19. dip — to sink
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. pass — a permit
  22. court — of a king
  23. court — of law
  24. march — music

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