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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. present — there
  3. can — a tin
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. can — a tin
  6. present — the time now
  7. wound — an injury
  8. roll — a cake
  9. hand — in cards
  10. chip — to eat
  11. file — a document
  12. present — a gift
  13. chip — for betting
  14. file — a tool
  15. can — to be able to
  16. file — a line of people
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. wound — an injury
  19. hand — help
  20. face — to confront
  21. roll — a list
  22. face — part of the head
  23. face — to point toward
  24. hand — part of the body

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