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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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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: nail · face · pass · game · wake · saw · cap · bulb

  1. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. cap — a lid
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. game — wild animals
  7. saw — the tool
  8. cap — of ice
  9. face — to confront
  10. face — to point toward
  11. cap — a hat
  12. wake — a trail
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. saw — the tool
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. pass — a permit
  19. game — a match
  20. bulb — for light
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. bulb — for light
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. nail — for a hammer

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