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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. present — the time now
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. rest — what's left
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. court — of a king
  8. rest — a break
  9. date — the fruit
  10. cap — of ice
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. court — of law
  14. present — there
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. present — a gift
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. rest — what's left
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. cap — a hat
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. wind — moving air
  23. court — for sport
  24. wind — moving air

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