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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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. bound — tied together
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. chest — of your body
  5. face — to point toward
  6. tear — to rip
  7. cap — a hat
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. shower — rain
  10. face — part of the head
  11. key — for a lock
  12. key — in music
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. tear — from crying
  15. bound — obliged
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. face — to confront
  18. bound — certain
  19. tear — from crying
  20. shower — to wash
  21. chest — a box
  22. chest — of your body
  23. key — the most important part
  24. cap — a lid

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