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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. file — a tool
  3. face — to point toward
  4. game — a match
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. can — a tin
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. snap — to click
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. stand — to bear
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. can — to be able to
  14. game — wild animals
  15. face — part of the head
  16. file — a line of people
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. face — to confront
  20. mug — a cup
  21. mug — a face
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. mug — to rob
  24. file — a document

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