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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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. bound — certain
  4. face — to point toward
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. bound — obliged
  9. lean — to bend
  10. band — a ring
  11. face — to confront
  12. mine — for digging
  13. ball — a dance
  14. band — a music group
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. cap — a lid
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. cap — of ice
  19. bound — tied together
  20. ball — a great time
  21. face — part of the head
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. lean — thin

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