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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. cap — of ice
  4. face — part of the head
  5. roll — a cake
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. wake — a trail
  8. bulb — for light
  9. face — to point toward
  10. cell — in biology
  11. cap — a hat
  12. bulb — for light
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. cell — a phone
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. pop — soda
  18. kick — in football
  19. roll — a list
  20. pop — music
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. face — to confront
  24. cap — a lid

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