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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 116 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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. game — wild animals
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. craft — boats
  7. game — a match
  8. face — to point toward
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. lie — to recline
  11. hand — help
  12. kick — in football
  13. season — of the year
  14. face — to confront
  15. face — part of the head
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. season — in sport
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. cap — a hat
  21. craft — a skill
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. hand — in cards
  24. cap — of ice

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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