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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. When was this ________________ built?
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. board — to get on
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. cap — of ice
  12. cap — a lid
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. hand — help
  16. chair — a leader
  17. saw — the tool
  18. face — to confront
  19. face — part of the head
  20. saw — the tool
  21. board — a committee
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. hand — in cards
  24. face — to point toward

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