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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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. ground — the earth
  3. cap — a hat
  4. file — a document
  5. cap — of ice
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. lie — to recline
  8. bass — low music
  9. mug — a cup
  10. mug — to rob
  11. ground — a position
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. cap — a lid
  15. ground — crushed
  16. season — of the year
  17. hand — help
  18. hand — in cards
  19. file — a line of people
  20. mug — a face
  21. file — a tool
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. season — in sport
  24. hand — part of the body

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