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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. chest — of your body
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. chest — a box
  7. content — happy
  8. land — to come down
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. land — a country
  11. cap — a lid
  12. land — ground
  13. content — the amount
  14. chest — of your body
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. lie — to recline
  19. board — a committee
  20. band — a music group
  21. cap — a hat
  22. board — to get on
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. band — a ring

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