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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. land — a country
  5. wind — moving air
  6. face — part of the head
  7. face — to confront
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. season — of the year
  11. land — to come down
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. cue — a hint
  14. bore — to tire
  15. bore — to drill
  16. can — a tin
  17. wind — moving air
  18. cue — a signal
  19. face — to point toward
  20. can — a tin
  21. land — ground
  22. season — in sport
  23. can — to be able to
  24. cue — for pool

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