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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 116 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 don't need to ________________ round.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. kid — to tease
  3. can — to be able to
  4. face — part of the head
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. can — a tin
  7. stand — to bear
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. drill — the tool
  10. face — to confront
  11. prune — to trim
  12. pop — soda
  13. drill — army training
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. season — of the year
  17. pop — music
  18. face — to point toward
  19. can — a tin
  20. kid — child
  21. season — in sport
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. prune — to trim
  24. drill — a practice

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