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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 help me carry this box?
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. land — a country
  3. staff — employees
  4. land — to come down
  5. face — part of the head
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. can — a tin
  8. staff — a stick
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. face — to point toward
  11. snap — to click
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. ball — a great time
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. staff — employees
  16. capital — money
  17. can — a tin
  18. land — ground
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. capital — a city
  21. ball — a dance
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. face — to confront

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