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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 pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. game — a match
  3. deal — to handle
  4. cap — of ice
  5. net — in sport
  6. present — a gift
  7. present — there
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. net — for catching
  10. cap — a lid
  11. cap — a hat
  12. face — to point toward
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. net — after costs
  16. face — part of the head
  17. band — a music group
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. band — a ring
  21. toast — bread
  22. present — the time now
  23. face — to confront
  24. toast — the most admired

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