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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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. cap — a hat
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. band — a music group
  5. lie — to recline
  6. row — to paddle
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. cap — of ice
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. bank — of a river
  12. band — a ring
  13. field — farmland
  14. bank — for money
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. field — for sport
  18. cap — a lid
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. bank — for money
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. field — a subject
  23. row — a line
  24. pass — to spend time

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