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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 King held a masked ________________.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. cap — of ice
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. club — for dancing
  5. cap — a hat
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. cap — a lid
  12. chest — a box
  13. lie — to recline
  14. club — for golf
  15. chest — of your body
  16. club — a group
  17. shower — rain
  18. scale — size or range
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. shower — to wash
  21. scale — in music
  22. ball — a great time
  23. chest — of your body
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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