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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. face — to point toward
  3. club — a group
  4. face — part of the head
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. club — for dancing
  8. shower — rain
  9. fork — in a road
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. face — to confront
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. can — a tin
  15. tube — the underground
  16. club — for golf
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. can — to be able to
  20. can — a tin
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. tube — a container
  23. shower — to wash
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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