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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: last · cap · mark · face · object · temple · kid · present

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  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. cap — a hat
  2. kid — to tease
  3. last — to go on
  4. face — to point toward
  5. mark — a grade
  6. present — the time now
  7. last — finally
  8. present — a gift
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. last — final
  11. object — to protest
  12. face — part of the head
  13. present — there
  14. mark — a trace
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. object — a thing
  20. face — to confront
  21. cap — a lid
  22. cap — of ice
  23. object — an aim
  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