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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. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. cap — a hat
  3. track — a path
  4. court — of a king
  5. mate — a partner
  6. mate — to breed
  7. court — for sport
  8. roll — a cake
  9. land — to come down
  10. track — to keep track
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. cap — a lid
  13. land — ground
  14. lie — to recline
  15. clip — a video
  16. clip — for paper
  17. clip — to cut
  18. track — a song
  19. court — of law
  20. mate — a friend
  21. land — a country
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. roll — a list
  24. cap — of ice

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