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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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: chest · season · hide · mark · content · arm · spring · cap

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. chest — of your body
  3. content — the amount
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. spring — the season
  6. season — of the year
  7. spring — of water
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. chest — of your body
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. content — happy
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. spring — a coil
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. mark — a trace
  16. season — in sport
  17. cap — of ice
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. cap — a lid
  21. mark — a grade
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. chest — a box

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