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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. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. clip — to cut
  4. spring — the season
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. cap — a lid
  7. spring — a coil
  8. saw — the tool
  9. key — in music
  10. face — to point toward
  11. face — part of the head
  12. key — the most important part
  13. clip — for paper
  14. cap — a hat
  15. face — to confront
  16. pop — soda
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. key — for a lock
  19. pop — to visit
  20. lie — to recline
  21. spring — of water
  22. saw — the tool
  23. clip — a video
  24. pop — music

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