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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. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  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. pitcher — in baseball
  3. cap — a hat
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. land — a country
  6. mark — a trace
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. rule — government
  9. rule — a law
  10. cap — a lid
  11. land — to come down
  12. land — ground
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. capital — money
  16. lie — to recline
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. mark — a grade
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. capital — a city
  23. rule — to rule out
  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