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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 116 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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. march — the month
  3. cap — a hat
  4. pound — a weight
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. lean — thin
  7. cap — of ice
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. key — for a lock
  11. lean — to bend
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. march — the month
  15. cap — a lid
  16. key — in music
  17. face — part of the head
  18. face — to confront
  19. face — to point toward
  20. key — the most important part
  21. march — music
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. bat — the animal
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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