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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 116 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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. cap — a hat
  3. cap — a lid
  4. face — to point toward
  5. face — part of the head
  6. rock — a stone
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. cap — of ice
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. mug — to rob
  12. club — for golf
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. scale — size or range
  16. vault — a safe
  17. mug — a face
  18. cell — in biology
  19. cell — a phone
  20. rock — music
  21. mug — a cup
  22. club — a group
  23. scale — in music
  24. club — for dancing

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