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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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. bass — low music
  3. mark — a trace
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. cap — of ice
  6. cap — a lid
  7. ground — a position
  8. ground — the earth
  9. fine — high quality
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. mark — a grade
  12. rest — a break
  13. sharp — clever
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. bass — the fish
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. ground — crushed
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. fine — all right
  23. rest — what's left
  24. rest — what's left

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