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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. face — to confront
  3. bank — for money
  4. cap — of ice
  5. last — final
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. wound — an injury
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. face — part of the head
  11. wound — an injury
  12. bass — low music
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. bass — the fish
  15. bank — for money
  16. cap — a hat
  17. last — finally
  18. bank — of a river
  19. face — to point toward
  20. cap — a lid
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. last — to go on
  23. season — of the year
  24. mouse — the animal

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