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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 ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  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. coach — a trainer
  3. face — part of the head
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. present — a gift
  7. field — for sport
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. face — to confront
  10. present — the time now
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. can — a tin
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. field — farmland
  19. present — there
  20. can — a tin
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. field — a subject
  23. nail — for a hammer
  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