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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. can — a tin
  3. ground — crushed
  4. cell — a phone
  5. tube — a container
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. rock — a stone
  9. ground — the earth
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. can — to be able to
  12. spring — of water
  13. face — to point toward
  14. face — part of the head
  15. face — to confront
  16. spring — the season
  17. ground — a position
  18. rock — music
  19. cell — in biology
  20. can — a tin
  21. tube — the underground
  22. sharp — clever
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. sharp — exactly

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