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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. mine — for digging
  3. can — a tin
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. face — to confront
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. wind — moving air
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. plane — a tool
  12. cue — a hint
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. wind — moving air
  16. cold — not warm
  17. cue — for pool
  18. cue — a signal
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. face — to point toward
  21. cold — an illness
  22. fork — in a road
  23. can — a tin
  24. face — part of the head

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