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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. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. hand — in cards
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. cap — of ice
  5. cap — a hat
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. fall — the season
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. hand — help
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. fall — to drop
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. chest — of your body
  16. toast — bread
  17. fall — to drop
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. chest — of your body
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. cap — a lid
  23. pass — a permit
  24. chest — a box

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