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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 116 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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Word bank
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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. board — a committee
  3. march — music
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. pit — in a race
  6. rest — what's left
  7. rest — what's left
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. face — to point toward
  11. march — the month
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. board — to get on
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. cap — of ice
  16. pit — a hole
  17. cap — a hat
  18. face — to confront
  19. face — part of the head
  20. march — the month
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. rest — a break
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. hide — to keep secret

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