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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. can — a tin
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. cold — not warm
  7. cell — a phone
  8. can — to be able to
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. net — for catching
  11. net — after costs
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. cell — in biology
  16. face — part of the head
  17. land — a country
  18. land — ground
  19. land — to come down
  20. face — to confront
  21. cold — an illness
  22. net — in sport
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. can — a tin

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