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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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. court — for sport
  3. chest — a box
  4. cap — a lid
  5. court — of law
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. face — part of the head
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. mark — a trace
  12. court — of a king
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. face — to confront
  15. chest — of your body
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. perch — the fish
  18. cap — a hat
  19. mark — a grade
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. face — to point toward
  22. chest — of your body
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. coach — a trainer

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