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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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. board — to get on
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. deal — to handle
  8. spring — the season
  9. face — part of the head
  10. spring — of water
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. wound — an injury
  13. board — a committee
  14. bass — low music
  15. cap — of ice
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. face — to point toward
  18. bass — the fish
  19. spring — a coil
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. wound — an injury
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. cap — a lid
  24. face — to confront

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