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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. face — to confront
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. face — part of the head
  5. bat — the animal
  6. clip — for paper
  7. face — to point toward
  8. chip — to eat
  9. mate — to breed
  10. rock — music
  11. mate — a friend
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. mate — a partner
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. rock — a stone
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. chip — for betting
  18. cap — a lid
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. clip — a video
  21. cap — a hat
  22. clip — to cut
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. deal — to handle

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