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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. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. face — to point toward
  3. drill — the tool
  4. cap — a lid
  5. face — to confront
  6. drill — army training
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. cold — an illness
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. track — a path
  12. face — part of the head
  13. cap — a hat
  14. track — a song
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. season — in sport
  18. drill — a practice
  19. cap — of ice
  20. cold — not warm
  21. season — of the year
  22. track — to keep track
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. racket — for tennis

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