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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. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  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. jam — to spread on bread
  2. can — a tin
  3. can — to be able to
  4. face — to point toward
  5. face — part of the head
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. pop — soda
  9. spell — magic
  10. spell — letters
  11. wind — moving air
  12. pop — music
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. wind — moving air
  15. can — a tin
  16. roll — a cake
  17. spell — a short time
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. roll — a list
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. pop — to visit
  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