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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 120 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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. face — to confront
  3. row — to paddle
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. row — a line
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. kick — in football
  8. mug — a cup
  9. bass — the fish
  10. cap — of ice
  11. cap — a lid
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. bass — low music
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. mug — a face
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. vault — a safe
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. mug — to rob
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. face — to point toward
  23. cap — a hat
  24. face — part of the head

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