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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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. track — to keep track
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. track — a path
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. game — a match
  8. face — to confront
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. branch — a division
  12. mark — a grade
  13. fall — the season
  14. face — to point toward
  15. fall — to drop
  16. face — part of the head
  17. cap — a lid
  18. cap — a hat
  19. track — a song
  20. plane — a tool
  21. game — wild animals
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. mark — a trace
  24. fall — to drop

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