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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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. roll — a list
  3. cap — a lid
  4. content — the amount
  5. cap — a hat
  6. march — the month
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. roll — a cake
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. face — to confront
  13. cell — a phone
  14. face — part of the head
  15. band — a ring
  16. cell — in biology
  17. face — to point toward
  18. march — music
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. march — the month
  22. content — happy
  23. cap — of ice
  24. calf — a young animal

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