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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. pass — a permit
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. scale — size or range
  9. tear — from crying
  10. charge — in control
  11. lie — to recline
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. charge — a price
  16. charge — electricity
  17. cap — a lid
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. tear — to rip
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. cap — of ice
  22. scale — in music
  23. tear — from crying
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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