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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. cap — of ice
  3. rock — a stone
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. fall — to drop
  6. pop — soda
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. board — a committee
  9. cap — a hat
  10. cap — a lid
  11. board — to get on
  12. face — part of the head
  13. deal — to handle
  14. face — to confront
  15. pop — to visit
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. rock — music
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. fall — to drop
  20. fall — the season
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. pop — music
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. straw — a straw man

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