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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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. cap — a hat
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. clip — a video
  5. branch — a division
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. game — a match
  8. face — part of the head
  9. bank — of a river
  10. pit — in a race
  11. pit — a hole
  12. key — for a lock
  13. bank — for money
  14. game — wild animals
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. key — the most important part
  18. face — to point toward
  19. key — in music
  20. clip — to cut
  21. bank — for money
  22. face — to confront
  23. cap — a lid
  24. clip — for paper

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