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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. can — a tin
  5. face — to point toward
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. face — to confront
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. can — a tin
  11. hand — help
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. can — to be able to
  16. face — part of the head
  17. bat — the animal
  18. bass — low music
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. hand — in cards
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. bass — the fish
  24. kick — in football

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