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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 120 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: bass · lie · pit · key · cell · face · leaves · cap

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. bass — the fish
  3. cell — a phone
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. face — to confront
  11. face — part of the head
  12. cell — in biology
  13. pit — in a race
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. key — the most important part
  17. cap — a hat
  18. key — in music
  19. key — for a lock
  20. pit — a hole
  21. face — to point toward
  22. bass — low music
  23. lie — to recline
  24. cap — a lid

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