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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 kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. cell — a phone
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. face — to confront
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. face — part of the head
  13. band — a music group
  14. spell — a short time
  15. cell — in biology
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. band — a ring
  19. spell — magic
  20. scale — in music
  21. scale — size or range
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. spell — letters
  24. face — to point toward

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