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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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. pit — in a race
  3. can — a tin
  4. pit — a hole
  5. present — a gift
  6. row — to paddle
  7. hand — help
  8. present — there
  9. can — to be able to
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. face — to confront
  12. bound — obliged
  13. face — to point toward
  14. face — part of the head
  15. can — a tin
  16. bound — tied together
  17. present — the time now
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. hand — in cards
  20. row — a line
  21. bound — certain
  22. cap — a lid
  23. cap — of ice
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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