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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. hand — help
  3. face — part of the head
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. file — a document
  6. file — a line of people
  7. rush — hurry
  8. face — to confront
  9. file — a tool
  10. face — to point toward
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. root — the cause
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. can — a tin
  15. root — of a plant
  16. can — a tin
  17. land — ground
  18. can — to be able to
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. hand — in cards
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. land — a country
  23. land — to come down
  24. root — of a word

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