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

  1. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. saw — the tool
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. can — a tin
  6. tear — to rip
  7. tear — from crying
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. charge — electricity
  11. foot — a measure
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. march — the month
  14. face — part of the head
  15. tear — from crying
  16. charge — in control
  17. face — to point toward
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. face — to confront
  20. march — music
  21. can — to be able to
  22. march — the month
  23. saw — the tool
  24. charge — a price

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