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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. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. charge — in control
  3. cap — of ice
  4. ball — a great time
  5. charge — a price
  6. face — to confront
  7. cap — a lid
  8. bulb — for light
  9. face — to point toward
  10. ground — the earth
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. ball — a dance
  13. face — part of the head
  14. chest — of your body
  15. cap — a hat
  16. ground — a position
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. chest — a box
  20. ground — crushed
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. bulb — for light
  23. charge — electricity
  24. cabinet — ministers

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