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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. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. face — part of the head
  3. face — to point toward
  4. chest — a box
  5. pop — music
  6. stand — to bear
  7. can — a tin
  8. face — to confront
  9. pop — soda
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. cap — a hat
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. squash — to crush
  15. squash — the sport
  16. can — to be able to
  17. cap — a lid
  18. pop — to visit
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. cap — of ice
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. chest — of your body
  23. can — a tin
  24. chest — of your body

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