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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. cap — a hat
  3. tube — a container
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. wind — moving air
  6. wind — moving air
  7. cap — of ice
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. lie — to recline
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. cap — a lid
  14. mate — to breed
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. band — a ring
  17. band — a music group
  18. tube — the underground
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. mate — a partner
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. wind — to turn a key

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