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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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. bear — the animal
  8. fine — all right
  9. face — part of the head
  10. cap — of ice
  11. hand — in cards
  12. hand — help
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. bear — the animal
  15. fine — high quality
  16. bass — low music
  17. face — to confront
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. bass — the fish
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. cap — a lid
  23. face — to point toward
  24. pitcher — a jug

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