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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: hand · cold · bound · cap · face · tube · bay · bowl

  1. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. bound — tied together
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. hand — help
  8. bound — certain
  9. cap — a hat
  10. cold — not warm
  11. hand — in cards
  12. face — part of the head
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. tube — a container
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. cap — a lid
  17. face — to confront
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. tube — the underground
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. face — to point toward
  22. cold — an illness
  23. bound — obliged
  24. cap — of ice

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