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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 120 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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. can — a tin
  3. file — a line of people
  4. can — to be able to
  5. lie — to recline
  6. cap — a hat
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. file — a document
  9. cap — a lid
  10. game — a match
  11. fall — to drop
  12. file — a tool
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. fall — to drop
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. pound — a weight
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. fall — the season
  23. can — a tin
  24. cap — of ice

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