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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 ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. toast — bread
  3. spring — of water
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. cap — a hat
  6. march — music
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. cap — a lid
  11. fine — high quality
  12. spring — the season
  13. row — a line
  14. net — after costs
  15. march — the month
  16. row — to paddle
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. march — the month
  19. spring — a coil
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. net — for catching
  22. fine — all right
  23. cap — of ice
  24. row — a quarrel

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