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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: cap · lie · bear · pass · kid · ground · swing · leaves

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. lie — to recline
  3. cap — of ice
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. kid — to tease
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. cap — a lid
  10. bear — the animal
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. cap — a hat
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. ground — crushed
  16. ground — the earth
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. swing — to play on
  20. swing — in golf
  21. pass — a permit
  22. bear — the animal
  23. swing — music
  24. kid — child

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