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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 124 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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. face — to point toward
  3. branch — a division
  4. cap — of ice
  5. net — in sport
  6. fine — all right
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. fine — high quality
  9. face — part of the head
  10. face — to confront
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. cap — a lid
  18. net — for catching
  19. net — after costs
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. kid — child
  24. kid — to tease

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