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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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. bass — low music
  3. land — to come down
  4. present — a gift
  5. cell — in biology
  6. fall — to drop
  7. present — there
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. land — ground
  10. bass — the fish
  11. lean — thin
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. lean — to bend
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. cell — a phone
  17. cap — of ice
  18. fall — the season
  19. fall — to drop
  20. present — the time now
  21. land — a country
  22. cap — a lid
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. safe — out of danger

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