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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. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. face — to point toward
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. dip — to sink
  7. march — the month
  8. face — part of the head
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. can — a tin
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. bat — the animal
  13. rush — hurry
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. face — to confront
  16. can — a tin
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. march — the month
  21. march — music
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. perch — the fish
  24. can — to be able to

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