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

Word bank: bat · face · snap · land · pound · ruler · trunk · cap

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. land — a country
  8. face — to confront
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. land — to come down
  11. face — to point toward
  12. bat — the animal
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. cap — of ice
  18. snap — to click
  19. land — ground
  20. face — part of the head
  21. pound — a weight
  22. cap — a lid
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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