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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. can — a tin
  4. can — to be able to
  5. chest — a box
  6. chest — of your body
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. cap — of ice
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. face — to point toward
  13. stock — shares
  14. cap — a lid
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. face — part of the head
  17. chest — of your body
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. stock — goods
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. cap — a hat
  24. face — to confront

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