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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 116 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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. face — part of the head
  3. can — a tin
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. game — wild animals
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. can — a tin
  8. rest — what's left
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. band — a music group
  13. band — a ring
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. game — a match
  16. rest — a break
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. face — to confront
  22. rest — what's left
  23. bowl — a dish
  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