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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 116 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 polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. cap — a hat
  3. march — the month
  4. key — for a lock
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. net — in sport
  8. net — for catching
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. cue — for pool
  12. cap — a lid
  13. key — the most important part
  14. cue — a hint
  15. key — in music
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. net — after costs
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. march — the month
  20. march — music
  21. cue — a signal
  22. lie — to recline
  23. snap — to click
  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