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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. ball — a dance
  3. spring — the season
  4. can — a tin
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. wind — moving air
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. ball — a great time
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. face — to point toward
  12. spring — a coil
  13. chip — for betting
  14. spell — letters
  15. spring — of water
  16. face — to confront
  17. spell — magic
  18. chip — to eat
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. can — a tin
  21. wind — moving air
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. face — part of the head
  24. spell — a short time

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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