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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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. band — a ring
  3. lie — to recline
  4. charge — electricity
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. charge — in control
  7. band — a music group
  8. charge — a price
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. spring — of water
  11. cap — a lid
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. wake — a trail
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. spring — the season
  17. press — to push
  18. cap — of ice
  19. spring — a coil
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. press — a publisher
  23. press — newspapers
  24. band — a rubber band

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