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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. court — of law
  3. race — the arms race
  4. face — to point toward
  5. cap — of ice
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. court — of a king
  8. deal — to handle
  9. band — a ring
  10. face — part of the head
  11. board — to get on
  12. board — a committee
  13. pass — a permit
  14. race — a contest
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. court — for sport
  20. band — a music group
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. face — to confront
  23. cap — a hat
  24. race — humankind

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