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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 · row · court · face · track · cabinet · snap · cell

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. cell — a phone
  4. track — a path
  5. face — to confront
  6. cap — of ice
  7. row — a line
  8. court — for sport
  9. face — part of the head
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. face — to point toward
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. cell — in biology
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. track — to keep track
  17. snap — to click
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. court — of law
  20. court — of a king
  21. track — a song
  22. cap — a hat
  23. row — to paddle
  24. cabinet — ministers

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