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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. tube — the underground
  4. fine — all right
  5. pop — soda
  6. tube — a container
  7. cap — a hat
  8. face — to confront
  9. face — part of the head
  10. cap — of ice
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. fine — high quality
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. scale — in music
  17. scale — size or range
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. pop — music
  22. cap — a lid
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. face — to point toward

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