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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. hand — in cards
  4. file — a document
  5. can — a tin
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. bat — the animal
  8. fork — in a road
  9. face — to confront
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. hand — help
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. file — a tool
  15. file — a line of people
  16. can — to be able to
  17. face — part of the head
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. can — a tin
  24. arm — 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