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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. land — to come down
  3. face — to confront
  4. ground — a position
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. ground — crushed
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. can — a tin
  10. bear — the animal
  11. band — a ring
  12. land — a country
  13. can — to be able to
  14. face — to point toward
  15. bear — the animal
  16. stock — goods
  17. stock — shares
  18. toast — bread
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. face — part of the head
  21. band — a music group
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. land — ground
  24. ground — the earth

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