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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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. cap — a hat
  3. face — to confront
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. row — to paddle
  9. bass — low music
  10. cap — a lid
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. bat — the animal
  14. ball — a great time
  15. ball — a dance
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. face — to point toward
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. face — part of the head
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. bass — the fish
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. cap — of ice
  24. lie — to recline

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