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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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. object — a thing
  3. fine — high quality
  4. staff — employees
  5. face — to confront
  6. tear — from crying
  7. face — part of the head
  8. cap — a hat
  9. cap — of ice
  10. object — an aim
  11. fine — all right
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. object — to protest
  14. staff — a stick
  15. kid — child
  16. staff — employees
  17. ball — a dance
  18. face — to point toward
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. tear — to rip
  21. tear — from crying
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. kid — to tease
  24. ball — a great time

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