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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  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 — a tin
  2. face — part of the head
  3. rule — government
  4. wax — to grow
  5. bound — obliged
  6. rule — a law
  7. can — a tin
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. can — to be able to
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. face — to confront
  12. mine — for digging
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. bound — certain
  15. mate — to breed
  16. bound — tied together
  17. mate — a partner
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. mate — a friend
  23. wax — for sculpting
  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