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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. face — to confront
  3. bass — low music
  4. cap — of ice
  5. last — finally
  6. face — part of the head
  7. chest — a box
  8. squash — to crush
  9. bound — tied together
  10. shower — rain
  11. cap — a hat
  12. last — to go on
  13. face — to point toward
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. chest — of your body
  17. squash — the sport
  18. shower — to wash
  19. chest — of your body
  20. bound — obliged
  21. last — final
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. bound — certain
  24. bass — the fish

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