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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. pop — soda
  3. charge — a price
  4. cap — of ice
  5. charge — in control
  6. charge — electricity
  7. cap — a lid
  8. spring — a coil
  9. bound — obliged
  10. game — a match
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. game — wild animals
  13. lie — to recline
  14. pop — music
  15. spring — the season
  16. season — in sport
  17. bound — certain
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. season — of the year
  22. spring — of water
  23. pop — to visit
  24. bound — tied together

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