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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. snap — to click
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. can — a tin
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. face — to confront
  8. lie — to recline
  9. face — to point toward
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. face — part of the head
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. can — to be able to
  19. wax — to grow
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. cell — in biology
  22. can — a tin
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. cell — a phone

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