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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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. spring — a coil
  4. pit — a hole
  5. present — there
  6. cap — a hat
  7. face — to confront
  8. rest — what's left
  9. spring — the season
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. spring — of water
  12. face — part of the head
  13. deal — to handle
  14. rest — what's left
  15. cap — a lid
  16. present — the time now
  17. rest — a break
  18. present — a gift
  19. pit — in a race
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. face — to point toward
  24. sharp — clever

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