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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. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. cap — a hat
  4. rock — a stone
  5. lie — to recline
  6. march — the month
  7. bank — for money
  8. foot — a measure
  9. bank — for money
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. cell — a phone
  12. march — music
  13. march — the month
  14. clip — to cut
  15. cap — a lid
  16. clip — for paper
  17. rock — music
  18. cell — in biology
  19. bank — of a river
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. clip — a video
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. lie — an untruth

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