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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. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. bank — for money
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. club — for golf
  5. cap — of ice
  6. cap — a hat
  7. club — for dancing
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. swing — to play on
  11. face — to confront
  12. swing — music
  13. net — after costs
  14. bank — for money
  15. club — a group
  16. face — to point toward
  17. ground — a position
  18. net — in sport
  19. net — for catching
  20. bank — of a river
  21. ground — crushed
  22. swing — in golf
  23. face — part of the head
  24. ground — the earth

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