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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 120 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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. present — a gift
  3. face — to point toward
  4. cap — a lid
  5. plane — a tool
  6. court — of law
  7. face — to confront
  8. present — the time now
  9. spring — a coil
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. face — part of the head
  12. spring — the season
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. race — the arms race
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. cap — a hat
  17. spring — of water
  18. present — there
  19. court — for sport
  20. board — a committee
  21. race — humankind
  22. race — a contest
  23. board — to get on
  24. court — of a king

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