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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: land · ruler · wind · cap · deal · lie · season · bowl

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. season — in sport
  5. season — of the year
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. land — a country
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. land — to come down
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. wind — moving air
  12. deal — to handle
  13. cap — of ice
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. land — ground
  16. lie — to recline
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. cap — a lid
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. wind — moving air
  24. wind — to turn a key

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