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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. cap — a hat
  3. hand — help
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. dip — to sink
  8. face — to confront
  9. can — a tin
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. hand — in cards
  13. can — to be able to
  14. face — part of the head
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. face — to point toward
  17. bat — the animal
  18. kick — in football
  19. cap — a lid
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. can — a tin
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. cap — of ice

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