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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 116 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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. ground — the earth
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. field — for sport
  6. face — to point toward
  7. field — a subject
  8. ground — crushed
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. cold — an illness
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. can — a tin
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. can — a tin
  16. ground — a position
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. cold — not warm
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. face — to confront
  21. face — part of the head
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. field — farmland
  24. leaves — lets stay

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