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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. The water is too ________________.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. fine — all right
  3. face — part of the head
  4. can — a tin
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. fine — high quality
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. tube — a container
  10. tube — the underground
  11. ground — a position
  12. face — to confront
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. ground — crushed
  16. face — to point toward
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. can — to be able to
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. can — a tin
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. ground — the earth
  23. cold — an illness
  24. hide — to keep secret

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