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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  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. face — part of the head
  2. board — to get on
  3. fall — to drop
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. face — to point toward
  6. cap — of ice
  7. mine — for digging
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. fall — the season
  10. rock — a stone
  11. capital — money
  12. capital — a city
  13. cap — a lid
  14. rock — music
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. face — to confront
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. cap — a hat
  19. fall — to drop
  20. board — a committee
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. pass — a permit
  23. capital — a big letter
  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