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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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. cap — of ice
  4. content — happy
  5. face — to confront
  6. season — of the year
  7. face — to point toward
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. kid — child
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. kid — to tease
  12. bound — tied together
  13. season — in sport
  14. rash — hasty
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. face — part of the head
  17. cap — a lid
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. content — the amount
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. bound — certain
  23. rash — a series
  24. bound — obliged

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