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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. file — a tool
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. bear — the animal
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. file — a document
  7. kid — child
  8. cap — a hat
  9. cap — of ice
  10. face — to point toward
  11. bear — the animal
  12. vault — a safe
  13. ground — the earth
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. ground — crushed
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. ground — a position
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. kid — to tease
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. face — to confront
  23. face — part of the head
  24. file — a line of people

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