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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. chest — a box
  3. cap — a lid
  4. wound — an injury
  5. cap — of ice
  6. roll — a list
  7. present — a gift
  8. ground — a position
  9. present — the time now
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. cap — a hat
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. wound — an injury
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. roll — a cake
  17. chest — of your body
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. ground — the earth
  20. chest — of your body
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. ground — crushed
  23. present — there
  24. roll — on a roll

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