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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. mate — to breed
  4. can — a tin
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. face — to confront
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. face — to point toward
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. can — a tin
  13. clip — a video
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. mate — a friend
  16. clip — for paper
  17. stand — to bear
  18. face — part of the head
  19. cap — of ice
  20. mate — a partner
  21. cap — a hat
  22. chair — a leader
  23. can — to be able to
  24. clip — to cut

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