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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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. face — to point toward
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. chair — a leader
  6. bank — for money
  7. cap — of ice
  8. chest — of your body
  9. rush — hurry
  10. bank — of a river
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. bank — for money
  13. cap — a lid
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. face — to confront
  16. face — part of the head
  17. chest — of your body
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. chest — a box
  20. branch — a division
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. pass — a permit
  24. pass — to spend time

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