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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. spell — letters
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. bass — low music
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. ground — the earth
  9. cap — a lid
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. spell — a short time
  14. bass — the fish
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. ground — crushed
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. spell — magic
  22. ground — a position
  23. lie — to recline
  24. cap — a hat

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