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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 120 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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. game — wild animals
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. track — a path
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. face — to confront
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. game — a match
  10. face — to point toward
  11. pound — a weight
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. march — the month
  14. can — a tin
  15. march — the month
  16. march — music
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. chair — a leader
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. face — part of the head
  21. track — a song
  22. can — a tin
  23. track — to keep track
  24. can — to be able to

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