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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. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  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. chest — a box
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. cap — a lid
  4. cap — of ice
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. track — to keep track
  7. fall — the season
  8. chest — of your body
  9. face — part of the head
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. fall — to drop
  13. current — happening now
  14. chest — of your body
  15. track — a path
  16. cell — in biology
  17. current — of water
  18. face — to point toward
  19. fall — to drop
  20. current — electric
  21. track — a song
  22. cap — a hat
  23. cell — a phone
  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