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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 124 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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. cap — a hat
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. march — the month
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. march — music
  7. cap — of ice
  8. land — ground
  9. face — part of the head
  10. degree — temperature
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. degree — from a university
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. degree — an amount
  15. land — to come down
  16. face — to confront
  17. face — to point toward
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. bound — obliged
  20. march — the month
  21. bound — certain
  22. wake — a trail
  23. land — a country
  24. bound — tied together

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