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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. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. mark — a trace
  3. cap — a hat
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. wind — moving air
  6. cap — a lid
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. toast — bread
  9. cap — of ice
  10. last — finally
  11. lie — to recline
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. mark — a grade
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. last — to go on
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. chest — a box
  20. chest — of your body
  21. last — final
  22. wind — moving air
  23. game — wild animals
  24. game — a match

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