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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. rest — what's left
  5. rest — what's left
  6. scale — size or range
  7. club — for golf
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. cap — of ice
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. game — a match
  13. bulb — for light
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. bulb — for light
  16. lie — to recline
  17. club — for dancing
  18. cap — a hat
  19. rest — a break
  20. club — a group
  21. scale — in music
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. game — wild animals
  24. cabinet — ministers

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