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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 120 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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. cap — a hat
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. chest — of your body
  5. staff — a stick
  6. season — of the year
  7. key — in music
  8. face — part of the head
  9. chest — of your body
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. staff — employees
  12. face — to point toward
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. bore — to drill
  15. chest — a box
  16. key — for a lock
  17. staff — employees
  18. face — to confront
  19. bore — to tire
  20. cap — of ice
  21. cap — a lid
  22. key — the most important part
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. bat — the animal

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